'Concerns about provoking Putin': ex-PM Johnson explains delays in military aid to Ukraine

Western countries are delaying military aid to Ukraine because of "an absurd fear of provoking Vladimir Putin", former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with Babel.

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According to him, "we [the West] have been giving Ukraine what it needs in too long a timeframe." Johnson added that now "Ukraine's technological needs are changing."

"A year ago, tanks and armored cars seemed very important, but now they seem more vulnerable to drones, so we need to think more about drones. It seems that we are constantly one step behind. We need to step forward and give Ukraine what it needs to end [the war] now," he said.

The ex-prime minister added that the Russian president is afraid of armed resistance, and he can be defeated "by providing Ukraine with everything it needs – the best drone technologies, salvo fire systems, long-range missiles, air defense equipment."

On July 14, 2023, in his column for the Daily Mail, Johnson criticized the results of the NATO summit in Vilnius and called for Ukraine to be accepted into the Alliance as soon as possible.

On September 14, the former British Prime Minister called on Western allies to increase military aid to Ukraine in order to speed up its victory in the war.