“Prize for Freedom”
Johnson compares helping Ukraine with fighting Hitler
06/27/2022, 2:44 p.m
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is urgently asking the G7 countries for help so that the war can end this year. The British Prime Minister compares the support with the fight against Nazi Germany. Johnson said his country must stand by Ukraine regardless of the cost.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has likened supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia to fighting Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The price for freedom is worth paying, Johnson told the BBC on the sidelines of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau.
It took democracies a long time to come up with an answer to tyranny and aggression in the mid-20th century, and it was very expensive, Johnson said. “But with the defeat of the dictators, most notably Nazi Germany, it brought many decades of stability, a world order based on a rules-based international system,” Johnson said. “It’s worth protecting, it’s worth defending, it brings long-term prosperity.”
Britain must be prepared to stand by Ukraine in the fight against Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s aggression, regardless of the cost, the prime minister said. “Imagine if we were to allow Putin to get away with taking over by force large parts of another country, a sovereign, independent territory,” Johnson said. “The lessons from this would be absolutely terrifying in any country of the former Soviet Union.”
The UK has provided Ukraine with around £1.5 billion in financial and humanitarian aid and around £1.3 billion in arms supplies since the war began on February 24.
G7 want to help Ukraine “for as long as necessary”.
The G7, the leading democratic economic powers, had previously pledged their help to Ukraine “for as long as necessary”. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary,” the G7 summit said in a statement on Ukraine.
Among other things, the heads of state and government held out the prospect of tightening sanctions against Russia. The focus should be on the defense industry and the technology sector. “We are determined to reduce Russia’s revenue, including from gold,” the paper said. No further details were given.
The states also pledged their support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The G7 states said they were “ready to support an international reconstruction plan” that was being drawn up by Ukraine in close consultation with bilateral and multilateral partners. “We are firmly committed to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and will step up our respective efforts.” The goals are a sustainable and green economic upswing, strong democratic institutions, the rule of law and the fight against corruption.