NATO may deploy troops to Ukraine if Trump cuts support: Ex-UK PM
4 Min Read
The former UK Prime Minister fears that Trump's potential aid cuts to Ukraine could impact Europe's security.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, on April 27, 2022. (AP)
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the country may need to send troops to Ukraine if newly reelected President Donald Trump scales back US financial or military support, reported Newsweek.
In an interview for GB News, Johnson explained that failing to back Ukraine could lead to higher costs for the UK and pose a threat to European security, suggesting that in such a scenario, it would be preferable for Britain to deploy troops to fill the gap left by reduced US aid.
Trump staffers' purported plan to end the war in Ukraine involves freezing all conflict at the front lines. In creating an 800-mile Demilitarized Zone, the US would not send troops to keep charge of it, nor pay for it.
The reelected President has also previously criticized NATO and discussed withdrawing the US from the alliance, which coordinates "the delivery of aid from allies and partners to Ukraine."
Trump has not released official plans for the Russia-Ukraine war but has previously pushed for a ceasefire and said that he would end the war "within 24 hours." He also said that he believes the US is sending Ukraine too much money in terms of military aid and would stop sending it if elected.
Johnson said, "What I'm saying is for people watching, thinking why are we supporting the Ukrainians? It's because otherwise our collective security will be really degraded by a resurgent Russia threatening all sorts of parts of Europe."
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Ukraine support crucial for security of Europe
Describing this potential scenario, Johnson added that Europe would then have to bear the cost of sending British troops to help defend Ukraine.
The former Prime Minister emphasized that the UK's support for Ukraine is crucial to safeguarding other European nations from Russian aggression. He warned that if Ukraine falls, it would pose "an even bigger threat on our borders, the borders of the European continent wherever the democracies butt up against Russia."
He also spoke of Trump's views of Ukraine and his influences within the Republican Party, saying, "Donald Trump has lots of different voices in his ears and there's a front of the Republican Party, quite a lot of them actually, who take the wrong line on Ukraine."
Moreover, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss strategies for preventing Donald Trump from reducing US support for Ukraine. The two leaders also sought to encourage President Biden to permit Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets.
It is worth noting that two days ago, Donald Trump Jr., son of the US president-elect, suggested on social media that Zelensky may soon face a significant reduction in aid from the United States.
During his campaign, Donald Trump criticized Zelensky's relationship with the Biden administration, labeling him "the greatest salesman in history" for securing billions in aid from President Joe Biden's administration.
The US has since the outbreak of the war in 2022 been Ukraine's largest donor, with Congress allocating tens of billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid. Moscow has consistently condemned this support, arguing that it prolongs the conflict and will not alter the outcome.
