Boris Johnson warns of British troops being sent to Ukraine if Donald Trump cuts US defence funding

Johnson emphasised that supporting Ukraine is crucial to prevent Russia from threatening other European nations.

He cautioned that if Ukraine falls, it would lead to "an even bigger threat on our borders, the borders of the European continent wherever the democracies butt up against Russia."

The former PM specifically highlighted the potential risks to Baltic states and Georgia, suggesting that a Ukrainian defeat would have far-reaching consequences across Europe.

"Let me give the financial argument for why that's a good investment of public funds, why protecting democracy in Ukraine is actually a sensible investment," Johnson told GB News.

He explained that failure to support Ukraine would result in significantly higher costs for Britain in the future.

"What I'm saying is for people watching, thinking why are we supporting the Ukrainians? It's because otherwise our collective security will be really degraded by a resurgent Russia threatening all sorts of parts of Europe," he said.

The former Prime Minister warned that such a scenario would force Britain to commit troops directly.

"Let me give the financial argument for why that's a good investment of public funds, why protecting democracy in Ukraine is actually a sensible investment," Johnson told GB News.

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He explained that failure to support Ukraine would result in significantly higher costs for Britain in the future.

"What I'm saying is for people watching, thinking why are we supporting the Ukrainians? It's because otherwise our collective security will be really degraded by a resurgent Russia threatening all sorts of parts of Europe," he said.

The former Prime Minister warned that such a scenario would force Britain to commit troops directly.

"We will then have to pay to send British troops to help defend Ukraine," he cautioned.

Johnson also noted that the impact of a Ukrainian defeat would extend beyond Europe, affecting security in the Pacific theatre and South China Sea.

Addressing Trump's stance on Ukraine, Johnson highlighted conflicting influences within the Republican Party.

"Donald Trump has lots of different voices in his ears and there's a front of the Republican Party, quite a lot of them actually, who take the wrong line on Ukraine," he said.

He criticised some Republicans for being "entranced by Vladimir Putin" and having "a kind of weird sort of fanboy thing about Putin."

However, Johnson also praised Trump's previous support for Ukraine.

"This is the same Trump who made a huge difference to the fortunes of Ukraine when he authorised the supply of the javelin shoulder launched anti-tank weapons," he noted.

The former PM emphasised that without Trump's earlier support, "the battle for Kyiv might have been very, very different."

Discussing Trump's broader appeal, Johnson suggested that some media outlets had underestimated the former president's support among voters.

"A lot of people looked back to the time of Donald Trump and remembered that things were not only stable, but also quite prosperous," he told GB News.

He highlighted Trump's "clear and incredible economic message about growth, about tax cuts, about deregulation."