Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pointed out the mistake of the West 9 years ago – when Russia – Ukraine broke out in tension because of the situation in Crimea and Donbass.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Image: AFP).
Reply to channel She works of Ukraine, Mr. Johnson said, the West should have contained Russia since the Ukraine crisis broke out nine years ago instead of waiting for large-scale fighting to break out in 2022. He said the strategy of the West at the time was a mistake not to enact harsh sanctions against Russia but to pursue diplomacy.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has persisted for the past nine years since the 2014 coup that toppled the government of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Mr. Yanukovich is described as a person with pro-Russian views. At the end of 2013, after he postponed the signing of key trade and political agreements between Kiev and the European Union (EU) “to ensure national security” and in return for $15 billion in aid from Ukraine. In Russia, protests broke out in Kiev and many western cities, then quickly turned violent. In February 2014, he was ousted.
Following this milestone, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and supported separatists in the Eastern Donbass in their fighting with Kiev forces.
“What sanctions did we put in place (against Russia) in 2014? There was a diplomatic measure called the Normandy process and it achieved nothing. From there, Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded argue that the West won’t stop him. That’s strategy one mistake,” Johnson said, adding that the “fundamental lesson” had been learned by all sides.
“The above diplomacy has gone nowhere. People have learned a great lesson that we failed in 2014, we failed to do what needed to be done,” he said.
The Normandy peace process – which involved Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France – was an attempt to resolve hostilities in the Donbass. In 2014 and 2015, the parties signed the Minsk Agreements to find a peaceful solution to the Donbass. However, this agreement has now ceased to be valid when the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out.
Last month, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that the deal was an attempt to give Ukraine time to build a stronger military. Former French President Francois Hollande later confirmed this information.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “disappointed and shocked” by the comments by Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Hollande, calling it proof that Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine was the right decision.