Boris Johnson has endorsed Donald Trump for the US presidency, claiming he will surprise his critics and back Ukraine, making “the West stronger” and “the world more stable”.
The former prime minister mocked the “global wokerati” for “trembling so violently” at the idea of Trump returning to the White House.
On Monday, the ex-president won the Iowa caucus, the first event on the path to candidates being nominated, with 51% of the vote.
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In his column for the Daily Mail, for which he is being reportedly paid up to £1m a year, Mr Johnson said he is convinced Trump will continue to arm Ukraine.
Trump has failed to commit to sending weapons to the country and consistently expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin.
In a recent interview, he expressed concerns “we are giving away so much equipment… we don’t have ammunition for ourselves”.
But Mr Johnson wrote: “I simply cannot believe that Trump will ditch the Ukrainians; on the contrary, having worked out, as he surely has, that there is no deal to be done with Putin, I reckon there is a good chance that he will double down and finish what he started – by giving them what they need to win.”
He added: “If that is the case, then there is every chance, under Trump, that the West will be stronger, and the world more stable.”
Zelenskyy invites Trump to Ukraine
In an interview with Channel 4 on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Trump to visit Kyiv, after he claimed to be able to finish the war against Russia in 24 hours.
Mr Zelenskyy said: “Yes please Donald Trump – I invite you to Ukraine.
“If you can stop the war during 24 hours I think it will be enough to come to Kyiv, on any day I am here.”
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In his Daily Mail column, Mr Johnson said that “what the worlds need now is a US leader whose willingness to use force and sheer unpredictability is a major deterrent to the enemies of the West”.
Commenting on the 91 charges Trump is facing across four criminal cases, the former prime minister said he has been “caught saying a few unguarded things”.
But he said he “likes his style”, adding: “In the cocktail parties of Davos, I am told, the global wokerati have been trembling so violently that you could hear the ice tinkling in their negronis.”