Johnson: Britain must resist 'Ukraine fatigue'
STORY: Johnson arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, southern England on Saturday (June 18) following a surprise visit to meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Kyiv.
He also offered a major training operation he believes could ‘change the equation’ against the Russian invasion.
“It would be a catastrophe if Putin won, it would be a catastrophe if he was able to secure the land bridge, the cities in the south that he has, to hold the Donbas, that's what he wants,” Johnson said.
Some members of his Conservative Party had criticized him for making the trip instead of attending a conference in northern England, where some Conservatives won traditionally opposition Labour-supporting parliamentary seats for the first time in 2019.
The trip also came a day after the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania travelled to Kyiv and endorsed Ukraine's candidate status to join the European Union.
Johnson, who faces political pressure at home, has grown in popularity in Ukraine as Britain has poured in military and political support into Kyiv during the Russian invasion.
The new military training program would train Ukrainian forces outside of the country, Johnson's office said. Each soldier would spend three weeks learning battle skills for the front line, as well as basic medical training, cyber-security and counter explosive tactics.
