Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Urges Immediate Deployment of Non-Combat Troops to Ukraine

London. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stated that Britain and its allied nations should send non-combat troops to Ukraine immediately. He claimed such a move could change the thinking of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking on the BBC's 'Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg' program, Johnson suggested that troops could be deployed in non-war roles in safe zones. "If we can only plan for 'boots on the ground' after the war and after a ceasefire, why not do it now?" he questioned.

Currently, the UK government is preparing to form a 'coalition of the willing' with its allies to maintain peace and stability in Ukraine. However, the government's plan is to implement this step only after a peace agreement ending the war.

As the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, approaches, Johnson stated that the war could have been stopped if Western countries had been vigilant earlier. He specifically mentioned that insufficient attention was paid when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Former military chief Admiral Tony Radakin, also participating in the program, commented that the strategy of allied nations has been 'gradual and slow'. He noted that Ukraine feels the assistance is delayed, which is frustrating. It has been acknowledged that Western support has been slower than expected, as it often took months for allied countries to provide the weapons requested by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the last four years.