Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, believes that the UK and its allies should immediately send troops to Ukraine to „flip the switch” in the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Johnson said in an interview with BBC that Western troops should be deployed in peaceful regions and in non-combat roles.
Johnson, who was prime minister when the war in Ukraine began, emphasized that if Western allies had paid more attention to Putin's increasing aggression and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, a large-scale war could have been prevented.
When asked if he was referring to the fact that British and other European allies' troops should now be sent to safe areas in Ukraine to "flip that switch," he responded: "Yes, you know, if we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which, of course, puts all the initiative, all the power in Putin's hands, why not do it now?"
"There is no logical reason why we shouldn't understand why we shouldn't send peaceful ground forces there to show our support, our constitutional support for a free and independent Ukraine. This is a political issue. It's about whether Ukraine is a free country or not. If it is a vassal state of Russia, which Putin wants, then obviously Putin must decide who comes into his country. If it's not, then it depends on the Ukrainians," detailed the former British Prime Minister.
In response to Johnson's statements, a spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said: "We are proud of the UK's leadership in Ukraine - supporting today's fight and working to secure tomorrow's peace."
"That's why this government is providing the highest level of military support, including a recent half-billion-pound air defense package just last week, accelerating the dispatch of £200 million to the British military to prepare for any deployment in Ukraine and collaborating with over 30 nations through the UK-led Volunteer Coalition," the ministry stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated after the latest round of trilateral negotiations in Geneva that the United States will lead the ceasefire monitoring once a peace agreement is reached with Russia.
Zelensky also indicated that another round of talks with Russia and the US regarding potential conditions for ending the war could take place by the end of February.
T.D.