UK’s Johnson lays out six-point response to Russian aggression

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out a six-step approach to helping Ukraine in an op-ed published in The New York Times on Sunday.

“Never in my life have I seen an international crisis where the dividing line between right and wrong has been so stark, as the Russian war machine unleashes its fury on a proud democracy. Russia’s reckless attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant reminds us just how grave the stakes are for everyone,” wrote Johnson.

Though he praised President Biden and European leaders, Johnson said not enough was being done to help Ukraine.

The first step to aid Ukraine, according to Johnson, is to “mobilize an international humanitarian coalition.” He wrote that he would be meeting with various western leaders this week to discuss “creating the widest possible coalition” to expose what is taking place in Ukraine.

The British prime minister also called for further defense equipment to be provided to Ukraine as well as stronger economic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he also maintained that the international community must stay open to diplomacy and de-escalation.

As a fourth step, Johnson said actions must be taken to prevent Russia’s actions from being normalized.

“The lesson from Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and seizure of Crimea in 2014 is that accepting the results of Russian aggression merely encourages more aggression,” said Johnson. “We cannot allow the Kremlin to bite off chunks of an independent country and inflict immense human suffering and then creep back into the fold.”