Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on allies to provide Ukraine with more aid that he said is needed to help them sustain the war.
“This is not the moment to delay any support for Ukraine,” he told Bret Baier on Fox News’s “Special Report” on Tuesday. “This is the moment to double down on our support, give them what they need, whether it’s the tanks or the long-range artillery fires they need to kick Putin out.”
Johnson met with Republican leadership in Congress on Tuesday to lobby lawmakers for more aid for the war-torn country as GOP support has started to waver. He met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and is scheduled to meet with the Republican Study Committee on Wednesday.
“The faster Putin gets out of Ukraine, and the quicker we return to stability, and the more powerful the message we send to people like China,” he said.
Russia is targeting eastern Ukraine as it prepares for a possible new offensive against the country, according to reporting from The Associated Press. The report added that Russia is focusing on the Donetsk province in its effort to target the city of Bakhmut.
President Biden announced last week that the U.S. will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which also pushed Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to the country. Ukraine has called for more aid, including F-16 fighter jets, but Biden said the U.S. will not be sending fighter jets.
Johnson visited Ukraine last week and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Johnson, who resigned as prime minister in September, has long been a supporter of Ukraine and even pushed for the United Kingdom to send more weapons to the country and implemented sanctions on Russia.