Russia's pullout from the captured Snake Island in the Black Sea shows the futility of President Vladimir Putin's strategic goals in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday.

"In the end, it will prove impossible for Putin to hold down a country that will not accept his rule," Johnson told a news conference after a NATO summit in Madrid.

Agreement to any peace deal would be entirely up to Ukraine, he added, while stressing unity against Russia from the NATO alliance and from G7 countries at a leaders' summit in Germany.

"We've seen what Ukraine can do to drive the Russians back," Johnson said.

"We've seen what they did around Kyiv and Kharkiv, now on Snake Island. I think the right thing for us is to keep going on the course that NATO has set out, no matter how difficult."

At the G7 summit, Johnson joked to fellow leaders that they could emulate Putin by posing topless to show their toughness.

The Russian leader responded that seeing Johnson and the other leaders half-naked would be "disgusting".

The prime minister refused to extend the war of words, arguing that Putin should reflect instead "about the consequences of his barbaric actions", including NATO's planned admission of Finland and Sweden.

"The most important conclusion that Vladimir Putin needs to draw from today and the last few days at NATO, and previously in the G7, is we are totally united in condemning what he has done in Ukraine," Johnson said.

Driven by Russia's actions, NATO members were committed to spending at least 2.0 percent of their gross domestic product on defence, he stressed.

Britain "will reach 2.5 percent of GDP on defence by the end of the decade", he added, although a row has erupted in London over whether Johnson's government is indeed sticking to that commitment.

Related Links
Space War News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Ukraine facing 'brutality' unseen in Europe since WWII: NATO chief
Madrid (AFP) June 28, 2022
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged alliance leaders heading to a summit in Madrid to keep up their backing for Ukraine as it faces an onslaught from Russia. "It is extremely important that we are ready to continue to provide support because Ukraine now faces a brutality which we haven't seen in Europe since the Second World War," Stoltenberg said ahead of the gathering in Spain. NATO allies have funnelled billions of dollars of arms to Kyiv - including increasingly heavy and longer- ... read more