KIGALI, Rwanda — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned G7 and NATO allies they should not encourage Ukraine to settle for unfavorable peace terms as Russia’s brutal war drags on.
Speaking to journalists traveling with him to Rwanda, Johnson repeated his concern that “that there is a lot of Ukraine fatigue now in the world.”
He called on Western powers to “give the Ukrainians strategic endurance,” adding that “my message to colleagues at the G7 and at NATO in particular is … now is not the time to settle and encourage the Ukrainians to settle for a bad peace, for a peace for which they are invited to give up chunks of their territory in return for a cease-fire.”
He warned such a scenario would be “a disaster” likely to embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and cause further economic damage to the world.
“It is time to recognize that the Ukrainians need help to change the dynamic in Donbas, Severodonetsk and then the land bridge area in the south,” he added.
Johnson emphasized the importance of food security as he departed for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali.
“A lot of the countries we are about to see depend on that type of grain,” he said. “Some of the poorest countries in the world absolutely depend on supplies of grain from Ukraine.”
He ruled out sending in the Navy, but stressed the need to find a way of getting the grain out that is not subject to Putin’s control.
On the eve of CHOGM’s opening ceremony, Johnson announced £372 million of aid for countries most impacted by rising global food prices.
This includes £130 million for the World Food Programme and £52 million for thr U.N.’s global emergency response fund.
Johnson’s visit has already been overshadowed by tensions between No. 10 and Prince Charles, after the future monarch reportedly condemned his controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
At the summit, Johnson vowed to stick by his policy despite royal misgivings.
