They were in the same boat, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson. Wednesday’s boat trip across a lake near Stockholm was the culmination of a defense pact between Sweden and the United Kingdom. Earlier during his Scandinavian trip, Johnson had struck a similar deal with the Finns. Should the Russians attack one of these future NATO members, the British will be the first to come to the rescue. A bold promise, given Vladimir Putin’s belligerent actions.
Unlike Andersson, Johnson, who taught rowing at Eton boarding school and represented the rowing town of Henley-on-Thames in the British Parliament, hadn’t bothered to don a life jacket. It says something about the prime minister who is known as a daredevil with a disdain for security rules. Johnson is now showing these traits on the world stage, where he has emerged as Putin’s main opponent, an attitude that makes the country, including ‘Londongrad’, vulnerable to a Russian attack.
Already in the months before the Russians invaded Ukraine, the British were busy arming the besieged country, especially with anti-tank weapons. In fact, the British started training Ukrainian soldiers as early as 2015, after the annexation of Crimea. A month ago, Johnson became the first Western leader to walk through Kyiv and the first to address Ukraine’s parliament via video link. A street in Odesa has already been named after Boris Johnson.
During that speech before the Ukrainian parliament he paraphrased his hero Winston Churchill. “This is Ukraine’s finest hour,” Johnson said, after noting that the Ukrainian military had dispelled the myth that the Russians possess an unbeatable army. It is not only the “great hour” of the brave nation, but also of Johnson himself. While he is under fire in his own country for lockdown drinks and the rising cost of living, he feels in his element as the self-proclaimed leader of the free West.
Ministry of Ukrainian Affairs
Helping Ukraine and punishing Russia demands the full attention of the British government. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has more or less changed into the Ministry of Ukrainian Affairs. Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace, who was instrumental in bringing Johnson to power, is very prominent. While Putin watched his military parades earlier this week, without an air force, the British minister compared the regime in Moscow to that of the Nazis.
In the background, Brexit plays a role, and Johnson’s urge to prove that the United Kingdom plays a significant international role. In an interview with The Economist he emphasized that the British now have the freedom to act quickly, that they do not have to wait for the French and the Germans. Brexit negotiator David Frost recently claimed that the rivalry between the United Kingdom and the European Union is good, as both sides rile each other on arming and imposing sanctions.
Risks
The British pioneering role is not without risks. Russian officials have identified London as the ‘main pacesetter of the anti-Russian project’, the British press reported. Remarkably enough, the Russian threat and Johnson’s bravado have hardly sparked any discussion. When entering into the declarations of solidarity with Finland and Sweden, the Prime Minister relied on the royal decree. Should parliament be given the opportunity to consider it, Johnson can count on massive support. An unprecedented luxury for the controversial British Prime Minister.