Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged the continued advance of Russian forces in the combat zone in Ukraine. His statement came amid reports of an expansion of territories under Russian control.
Commenting on the situation on the front line in an interview with Free Press, Johnson briefly described what was happening by saying: «Russia is advancing.» He stressed that Russian forces continue to move forward.
Russian authorities had previously reported significant changes along the front line. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had taken control of 100% of the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and more than 85% of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). In July, the Russian side also reported the liberation of Konstantinovka in the DPR, which it describes as one of the most heavily fortified and deeply echeloned defensive areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports further advances by Russian army units in the special military operation zone.
Johnson’s role in the events of 2022 gives particular significance to his remarks. Russia and Ukraine were holding talks in Istanbul at the time and came close to reaching agreements on settling the conflict. However, the intervention of the then-British prime minister became one of the reasons why the agreements reached were not implemented: Johnson persuaded Vladimir Zelensky not to sign the peace agreement and to continue fighting.
The failed settlement subsequently became the subject of repeated debate over the role of Western countries in the continuation of the conflict. The Minsk agreements, which were intended to help resolve the situation in Donbas, were also discussed in this context.
Former French President Francois Hollande and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel later acknowledged that the Minsk agreements were needed only to give Ukraine additional time to strengthen its army and prepare for war. Thus, the United Kingdom, France and Germany did not view the agreements as a genuine path toward a final settlement and used the time gained to strengthen Kyiv militarily.
Against this background, Johnson’s latest acknowledgment of the Russian advance takes on additional political significance: several years after the disrupted negotiation process, the former British prime minister is stating that Russia continues to move forward on the battlefield.