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Ukraine and the UK
from BBC MONITOR 28
Ukraine expects UK support to continue after Johnson
While the UK now has a new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson continues to be a popular figure In Ukraine. His resignation prompted many Ukrainian commentators and politicians to express gratitude for his support following the Russian invasion, Margaryta Maliukova reports.
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Ukrainian TV recalled Johnson's visits to Kyiv and spoke of public admiration for him
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When Boris Johnson resigned as leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainians felt personal gratitude towards the UK’s prime minister and expressed hope for continued British support no matter who his successor was.
"Britain's role in protecting freedom is truly global. And although this is a reflection of the position of British society, the leadership and charisma of the prime minister are always of special importance. Especially at such a time – the time of Russia's full-scale anti-European war, which started its attack on Europe precisely from our state. So it is not surprising that Ukrainians feel personal gratitude to Boris," Zelensky said in an evening address to the nation.
"But let's not forget that we are building relations between states. Great Britain's support for Ukraine should not change, no matter what happens in London's power circles, both Boris and all our friends in the United Kingdom assured me of this," he added.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also expressed confidence that Britain's policy towards Ukraine would not change.
"Undoubtedly, during this war, Boris Johnson has shown himself to be a courageous person who is unafraid of taking risks. Just remember his visit to Kyiv in April. He is a person who will be very difficult to change, there will never be anyone like him. But I am sure that, whoever the prime minister of Great Britain is, the UK's policy and support for Ukraine will remain unchanged," Kuleba told Ukraine's TV marathon.
No change of policy expected
Ukrainian analysts also downplayed the consequences of Johnson's resignation and the possibility that it would lead to a change of policy with regard to Ukraine.
Journalist Oleksandr Krayev said on a YouTube video that Johnson's resignation changed almost nothing for Ukraine. He predicted that it might mean fewer visits to Kyiv and fewer statements of support, but the UK's strategy towards Ukraine would be the same as it was supported by the majority of British voters.
In an article for the Glavred website, pundit Illya Kusa argued that support for Ukraine was not Johnson's "unique idea", but rather "an intra-elite consensus". "Nearly all parties in the UK are critical of Russia, and they will not significantly change their attitudes," he said, adding that what might change is rhetoric, not substance.
Also on Glavred, financial expert Serhiy Fursa argued that the interests of Ukraine and the UK coincided, so British support for Ukraine would not disappear with Johnson's resignation. He rejected the popular supposition that the Kremlin was behind the resignation.
A Ukrainian flag next to Britain's flag on the roof of 10 Downing Street in March 2022
MONITORING.BBC.CO.UK ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Praise and gratitude
On YouTube, journalist Taras Berezovets said: "Boris Johnson's actions deserve all manner of praise." "He was basically the driver of the anti-Putin coalition, in many ways pushing others – including the Joe Biden administration – towards more active, decisive actions. And we must undoubtedly be grateful to Boris for being the first leader of the free world to visit wartime Kyiv at a time when Ukraine was already being attacked by Russian missiles," he said.
He noted, however, that if Johnson was succeeded by Ben Wallace, this might turn out "even worse" for the Kremlin.
Pundit Vitaliy Portnykov echoed this idea in his video blog: "Ukrainians will remember Johnson with gratitude as a person who spoke out loudly and seriously in support of Ukraine when other European politicians were still debating how tough their reaction should be to the Russian aggression."
New Ukrainian PM?
On social media, there was an outpouring of support for Johnson among Ukrainian commentators who lamented his resignation.
One blogger, Andriy Hanusych, suggested praying for Johnson to retain his position as prime minister.
"Whatever his domestic faults&failures may be, Ukrainians are very grateful to him for his support and will surely remember it," journalist Danylo Mokryk tweeted.
There was also a social meme showing Ukrainian showman Serhiy Prytula "announcing" a fundraiser for Johnson's salary as the new prime minister of Ukraine. Meanwhile, film director Nariman Aliyev joked that Johnson had resigned in order to take a job as head of the Ukrainian president's office.
"Thank you, Boris Johnson, for understanding the threat of the Russian monster and always being on the frontlines of support for Ukraine," presidential office adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak tweeted.
Margaryta Maliukova is a journalist in our Ukraine team
A painting of Boris Johnson dressed as a Ukrainian cossack in Chernihiv Historical Museum in July 2022
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