Prime Minister Boris Johnson is helping Ukraine more than other world leaders in its resistance to Russian invasion thanks to pressure from the British people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
In an interview in Kyiv with The Economist magazine, Zelenskyy gave his assessment of the assistance given to Ukraine by major powers.
“Britain is definitely on our side. It is not performing a balancing act. Britain sees no alternative for the way out of the situation,” he said.
“Britain wants Ukraine to win and Russia to lose, but I’m not ready to say whether Britain wants the war to drag on or not.”
When asked if Johnson had been keener than French President Emmanuel Macron to send weapons, Zelenskyy responded: “Yes. To be honest, Johnson is a leader who is helping more.
“The leaders of countries react according to how their constituents act. In this case, Johnson is an example.”
Zelenskyy said France was being more hesitant in sending weapons “because they are afraid of Russia.”
He said Germany is “making a mistake today” as it tries to take a balanced approach due to their deeper economic ties with Moscow.
He also levelled mild criticism at the United States under the Biden administration, saying it has been moving “a little bit more slowly than we needed.”
Britain has provided the Ukrainian armed forces with a large number of lethal weapons.
On March 24, Johnson announced a major new package of support for Ukraine, including 6,000 more missiles. Before that, the UK had already provided over 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, including Next generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons Systems, or NLAWs, and Javelin missiles.
Announcing the new package, the prime minister praised the Ukrainian people for being “extraordinarily brave and tenacious in defending their homeland, in the face of an unprovoked onslaught.”
He said, “We cannot and will not stand by while Russia grinds Ukraine’s towns and cities into dust,” and promised to step up military and economic support to Ukraine to help the country “turn the tide in this fight.”
Johnson also called on NATO leaders to “keep the flame of freedom alive in Ukraine,” warning that failure to do so could lead to freedom “being snuffed out across Europe and the world.”
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