West Made ‘Terrible Mistake’ Over Russian Annexation of Crimea: UK’s Johnson

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a meeting with leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force at Lancaster House in London, on March 15, 2022. Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The West made a “terrible mistake” in 2014 when it allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to get away with annexing Crimea, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

In a commentary in The Telegraph, Johnson wrote: “When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine the first time round, in 2014, the West made a terrible mistake. The Russian leader had committed an act of violent aggression and taken a huge chunk out of a sovereign country—and we let him get away with it.