Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine were Donald Trump still in office.
The former US president, who is the Republican nominee for the upcoming US election in November, has sparked fears he might be too lenient on Russia and withdraw support for Ukraine if he gets back in power.
Trump has made it clear he wants the war to end, but has stopped short of actually saying who he wants to win – or how he would bring the conflict to a close, triggering speculation he would force Kyiv to concede land to Moscow.
Observers believe Putin is therefore rooting for a Trump victory, despite the Russian president’s sarcastic endorsement of Kamala Harris last month.
However, speaking to The Telegraph on Thursday, the former prime minister suggested the ex-US president “might have come down hard” on Putin.
Johnson claimed: “From the Kremlin’s point of view, there was a real risk that Trump would have construed an attack on a European country as an affront to America and to the world order, and might have come down hard.”
Trump said in August that he “could have stopped” Putin by reminding him of “what I do”.
Johnson, who has already expressed his support for Trump’s attempt to return to the White House, also told The Telegraph: “One of the virtues of Trump is his sheer unpredictability.
“That’s one of the reasons why I look at how he actually behaved on foreign affairs and I contrast it with what people say about him.
“He expelled 60 Russian spies [after the Salisbury poisonings]. He was much tougher on Syria than the Democrat administrations. He was tougher on the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] and then he gave the Ukrainians the Javelin missile.”
The former UK PM, who is celebrated in Ukraine for his unwavering support for their war against Russia, said: “It’s very, very important that we understand that Ukraine’s fight is absolutely existential for freedom and democracy in Europe, and if Ukraine goes down, it is an absolute catastrophe. And he understands that.
“I don’t think that he will want to go down in history as the guy who launched his second presidential term not by making America great but by making the Soviet Union great again.”
Johnson then suggested, “the world is a happier, more prosperous place when you have a strong America and a strong leader” like Trump.
The former PM already expressed his support for the Republican candidate in January, saying a second term under the divisive figure could be a “big win” for the world.
He is currently speaking to the media to promote his new memoir, Unleashed.