Johnson praises Germany’s support for Ukraine

WASHINGTON/ELMAU (dpa-AFX) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised Germany’s support for Ukraine and defended it against criticism. Both Germany and France had “done an amazing amount, considering where they were before the conflict began,” Johnson said in an interview with the US television channel CNN on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Bavaria on Sunday. Regarding criticism from Ukraine that Germany is doing too little, Johnson said that one has to look objectively at how far Chancellor Olaf Scholz has brought the country to significantly larger defense spending. “Never in my life did I expect Germany to make a direct military contribution in support of another European country, as it is doing now.”

In view of the Ukraine crisis, Germany had recently made several political U-turns and decided, for example, to supply heavy weapons to Kyiv and the armed forces upgrade massively.

Referring to US support for Ukraine, Johnson said the United States had been the “arsenal for democracy” on several occasions in the past. Addressing the American people, the British prime minister said, given the immense US spending on Ukraine: “I would argue that this is a price worth paying for democracy and freedom.” Johnson emphasized, “This is something America has historically done and must do: to stand up for peace, liberty and democracy.” When the world the Russian President Wladimir Putin allow it to attack Ukraine, then this would legitimize aggression elsewhere as well. The consequences for the world would be “absolutely catastrophic”.

The US has provided massive sums of money in support of Ukraine: since the start of Russia’s war of aggression on the country, the US has pledged or delivered weapons and equipment worth US$6.1 billion (€5.8 billion) to Kyiv alone./jac /DP/nas

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