Boris Johnson meets U.S. Republican lawmakers

Former British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson met with Republican lawmakers on Tuesday,
pressing the United States to sustain aid to Ukraine to help it
fight off Russia’s assault.
Johnson spoke with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker
Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican, in his office and is
scheduled to speak at a private Republican club in the evening,
said Representative Joe Wilson, a member of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee.
Johnson is also scheduled to meet with a group of Republican
senators, said U.S. Senator Todd Young, though he said he was
unaware of the exact timing.
On Wednesday, Johnson will discuss the need for “Western
unity and support for Ukraine and what more can be done against
the threat Russia poses” at the Atlantic Council think tank.
The Republicans took over the House from the Democrats at
the start of this year and some hardline members among the
Republicans have called for an end to U.S. military and other
assistance to Ukraine, which amounts to tens of billions of
dollars.
“I am here primarily to recognize and pay tribute to the
immense U.S. contribution to the security of the Ukrainian
people,” Johnson said in a statement.
“My mission is to demonstrate that Ukraine will win – and
that there is no conceivable case for delay in further
supporting the Ukrainians to win this year. We should have no
fear of escalation when it comes to the provision of weaponry.”
McCarthy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Johnson, who left office in September following a series of
scandals, was prime minister when Russia invaded Ukraine in
February last year. He sought to position the UK as Ukraine’s
top ally in the West and has continued to do so.
During a trip to Ukraine this month, Johnson visited
Borodyanka and Bucha, suburbs of the capital Kyiv that became a
byword in the West for Russian atrocities. Moscow denies
allegations by Ukraine and its Western allies that it has
committed war crimes.
In a Washington Post opinion piece published on Monday,
Johnson argued for the admission of Ukraine to the NATO military
alliance and that the process should start now.
Wilson, who will be among the lawmakers meeting Johnson, is
a staunch Ukraine supporter, having even suggested the placement
of a bust of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the U.S.
Capitol.