London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 06, 2026

What is Boris Johnson's goal on Ukraine?

What is Boris Johnson's goal on Ukraine?

The G7 summit here in Bavaria, and the one to follow of the Nato military alliance in Madrid, can be summarised like this: Ukraine.

What to do about Ukraine, for how long, at what cost and with what consequences?

The consequences are profound, for Ukrainians, of course, but also too for geopolitics, European stability, the values of liberal democracy and the implications for the world economy.

The prime minister has sought here to emphasise the UK's long term commitment to Ukraine.

So when I met him for an interview at the summit venue, Schloss Elmau, overlooking the stunning Wetterstein mountains in the Bavarian Alps, I tried to find out what that might mean.

What is Boris Johnson's bottom line with Ukraine? Is it the expulsion of Russian forces so Ukraine's borders of six months ago are re-established?

The implication of what he has said recently would imply that, but he stopped short of saying so explicitly.

"You can't be more Ukrainian than the Ukrainians," he said, but did add: "I think it's for Volodymyr Zelensky and his people to decide what they want and what they want is their land."

He tried to place the conflict in its historical context to justify its vast cost, comparing this contemporary war with the defeat of Nazi Germany.

"It took a long time. It was very expensive, but it brought decades and decades of stability, a world order that relied on a rules-based international system and that is worth protecting, that is worth defending delivers long term prosperity," he said.

He put no timeline and no budget on the UK's support, merely saying "strategic endurance is very important".

And here's the crux of this: a prime minister trying to square what he sees as a defence of British values on the world stage, with the domestic implications and costs of that very decision.

And while the G7 and Nato will give the outward impression of unity this week - the prime minister and French President Emmanuel Macron had a night cap whisky late last night and "patched things up", I'm told - the long term question still looms.

How does the conflict end, when, and what do Ukraine's borders look like at that point? And between now and then, how fractured does the Western alliance look?

There is talk here of an Anglo-French summit in the coming months.

This, after concern within the British government that the French were "leading the peloton", as one Whitehall source put it to me when it came to considering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine sooner rather than later - and so accepting the loss of some Ukrainian territory to Moscow.

And from the international, to the domestic.

Bluntly, how long Boris Johnson will be in the job?

This is one of the longest stints out of the country Boris Johnson has done as prime minister - eight days.

And the questions about his future do not go away, here or back home.

Yes, reporters like me ask him about it frequently.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has dominated proceedings of the G7 summit in Germany


But that is because it is a live discussion among his own MPs, from the cabinet down.

Yet again, on questions of his character and conduct, so often the central criticism levelled at him by those within his party and beyond who want rid of him, he ducked engaging directly.

I suggested that when talks about seeking a third term, and carrying on until the 2030s, it was if he was putting his fingers in his ears to ignore the criticisms.

Again and again, he instead seeks to talk about policy - a shopping list of aspirations for the future.

They are big aspirations and things millions of people will hope he can make happen.

But the crucial thing now is whether he has the authority to deliver them, when at least 40% of his MPs have lost faith in him.

He, as you would expect, insists he does.

He ended our interview insisting he has not considered giving up, saying being prime minister is a "huge, huge privilege" and "nobody abandons a privilege like that".

But plenty of prime ministers have either chosen or been forced to do exactly that: think Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron, Theresa May.

Mr Johnson's internal critics want to add him to that list, but have an opponent defiant and determined to carry on.

And not always bound by the conventions of his predecessors.


The UK PM compares standing up to Nazi Germany with today's war after Russia invaded Ukraine.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
NHS Maternity Reform Expands Central Oversight After Critical National Review
Dover Border Warnings Highlight Post-Brexit Pressure on Cross-Channel Trade
Private Nuclear Consortium Advances £35 Billion Small Reactor Strategy in UK
UK Labour Leadership Signals Shift Toward Reindustrialisation and Regional Power
House of Lords Debates Rail Nationalisation Bill to Create Great British Railways
Scottish Affairs Committee Expands Inquiry Into SNP Financial Conduct
Evri Launches £1.2 Million Defamation Case Against BBC Over Panorama Investigation
Port of Dover Warns of Border Delays as EU Entry-Exit System Looms
Nigel Farage Referred to Standards Watchdog Over Alleged Undeclared Benefits
UK Government Faces Scrutiny Over Claimed AI Datacentre Investment After FOI Findings
UK and India Finalise Trade Agreement Rules Ahead of Mid-July Implementation
UK Government Establishes National Maternity Commissioner After Major Review of NHS Care Failures
Private Consortium Plans £35 Billion UK Nuclear Programme Targeting Small Modular Reactor Rollout
Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Reindustrialisation and Devolution Plan as Leadership Transition to UK Premiership Advances
Morocco and France Advance as 2026 FIFA World Cup Enters Quarterfinals.
Historic 2026 Tour de France Opens in Barcelona With Revamped Team Time Trial.
Global Mergers and Acquisitions Approach $4 Trillion Defying Geopolitical Tumult.
Negotiators Advance 20-Point Framework for Gaza Ceasefire and Demilitarization.
OECD Warns Middle East Conflict Will Depress Global Economic Growth.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Major Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg.
World Meteorological Organization Issues Urgent Alert Over Rapidly Intensifying El Niño.
United States Commemorates 250th Anniversary With Diplomatic Summits and Global Flotilla.
Iran Begins Days-Long Funeral for Supreme Leader Khamenei Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff.
Technology giant reports surging carbon emissions driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure demands.
Artificial intelligence adoption accelerates workforce reductions across the technology and financial sectors.
Global technology and financial conglomerates collaborate to launch a new stablecoin standard.
United States regulators lift export restrictions on a major frontier artificial intelligence model.
Royal Society Exhibition Highlights Growing Focus on Public Trust in Science
Energy Costs and Supply Chain Risks Continue to Shape UK Business Strategy
Rapid Rise in Artificial Intelligence Adoption Reshapes UK Corporate Operations, ONS Says
UK Businesses Turn Defensive as Economic Outlook Weakens, Institute of Directors Data Shows
UK Government Faces Criticism Over Late Extension of Pub Hours for England Match
Inquest Continues Into Death of Noah Donohoe as Jury Deliberates Findings
Calls for Stronger Wildlife Attraction Safety Rules After Crocodile Enclosure Injury
City Fire Under Control After Major Blaze Sends Smoke Across Urban Area
Police Investigation Continues After Officer Killed During Road Closure Duties
Blackpool Hotel Fined £120,000 After Electric Shock Incident Involving Child
Whistleblowers Allege Delays in UK Special Educational Needs Support Services
Calls Grow for Improved Support for UK Armed Forces Personnel Facing Health Conditions
Rising UK Energy Price Cap Increase Prompts Wider Concerns Over Household Pressures
UK Businesses Remain Concerned Over Global Conflict Risks to Supply Chains, ONS Finds
Office for National Statistics Reports Rising Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Across UK Businesses
Institute of Directors Reports Deepening Pessimism in UK Business Confidence Index
England Prepare for World Cup Round of 16 Match Against Mexico in Mexico City
Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition Concludes in London After Week-Long Showcase of Research
Silverstone Hosts British Grand Prix as Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton Lead Home Crowd Expectations
Cornwall Van Dwellers Face Homelessness Risk as Council Tightens Enforcement
Police Investigate Stabbing of Iranian Journalist in London
Rare Copy of US Declaration of Independence Discovered in UK Archive
Department for Education Data Shows Persistent Literacy Gap Among Disadvantaged White Pupils
×