London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Boris Johnson seeks to leave domestic strife at home on whistle-stop diplomacy mission amid Ukraine-Russia tensions

Boris Johnson seeks to leave domestic strife at home on whistle-stop diplomacy mission amid Ukraine-Russia tensions

For an embattled Boris Johnson, a meeting with British troops abroad is an easy show of strength and there are domestic sceptics that would argue his dash to Brussels and Warsaw is as much about an attempt to switch the narrative back home than about genuine talks.

London to Brussels to Warsaw and back again all in one day; it was a day of whistle-stop diplomacy as Boris Johnson, flanked by allies, sought to impress upon all of us the "dangerous moment" Europe is facing in the stand-off with Russia over Ukraine.

Besieged at home over the ongoing police investigation into alleged parties in Downing Street during lockdown (which we will come back to), the prime minister wanted to change the debate.

To move away from his domestic difficulties to the deepening crisis in Ukraine, as Russia and Belarus began 10 days of military drills on its border.

Following talks with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, Mr Johnson told Moscow it was "time to de-escalate".

But, when I asked the prime minister if, after weeks of apparently fruitless diplomatic effort, he had come to the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted this war, he said: "I honestly don't think a decision has yet been taken.

"But that doesn't mean that it is impossible that something absolutely disastrous could happen very soon indeed.

"This is probably the most dangerous moment in the course of the next few days in what is the biggest security crisis faced in Europe in decades."

Mr Stoltenberg reiterated NATO's willingness to "listen to Russia's concerns" as he too spoke of the "dangerous moment" Europe faced.

"The number of Russian forces is going up," he added. "The warning time for a possible attack is going down."

Both men also sent a clear message to President Putin that NATO will not compromise on core principles - the right of each nation to choose its own path and NATO's ability to protect and defend its allies.

If the NATO headquarters in Brussels is where leaders and tacticians try to game out, and try to avert, armed conflict, it was the prime minister's next stop - Warsaw in Poland, which borders both Belarus and Ukraine - where the pressure is being felt on the ground.

Mr Johnson came here to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda, as well as visit British troops who only on Thursday had been deployed to Warsaw as part of a NATO mission to provide humanitarian assistance in the event of a Russian invasion into Ukraine.

The 350 British troops deployed to Poland - with another 650 put on standby - is a drop in the ocean compared to the more than 100,000 Russian troops building up on the Ukraine border.

But Mr Johnson pointed out, when visiting a Polish military base, that the Ukrainian army numbers about 200,000 troops.

"The Ukrainian army will fight and there will be bloodshed," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia began massive military drills in the Black Sea on Thursday with an estimated 30,000 Russian troops, supported by tanks and aircraft, in so-called "Allied Resolve" exercises in Belarus.

Of course, for an embattled Mr Johnson, a meeting with British troops abroad is an easy show of strength and there are domestic sceptics that would argue his dash to Brussels and Warsaw is as much about an attempt to switch the narrative back home than about genuine talks.

Indeed, when repeatedly asked about 50 members of staff being quizzed by the Met Police over Downing Street parties and whether he might have to resign should he be fined for breaking rules, the prime minister kept ducking those questions as he pivoted back to the issues around Ukraine.

The only moment on Thursday he engaged with developments in London was when I asked him about Sir John Major's remarks that his troubles at home had left the UK's reputation abroad "shredded".

"Demonstably untrue," is what Mr Johnson said.

But what is true is that the Ukrainian crisis is deepening by the day and it leaves the UK and its biggest allies with the deepest difficulty they have faced in Europe for decades.

This then is exactly the moment that the UK needs stable government. It has a prime minister that, despite his overseas engagement, is not placed to do it. He faces too many problems at home.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×