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UK PM Boris Johnson warns off settling Ukraine war 'now' in talks with France's Emmanuel Macron - Details

In talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit, both leaders "agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war".

AFP

Updated Jun 27, 2022, 00:34 IST

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Photo : AP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron that "any attempt to settle" the Ukraine conflict now risked prolonging instability and emboldening Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

In talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit, both leaders "agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war", Downing Street said.

But Johnson also cautioned that "any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability".

It also risked giving Russian President Vladimir "Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity," Johnson warned, according to the spokesman.

Unlike Macron, who has continued dialogue with Putin, Johnson has rejected talks with the Kremlin leader, who he has called a "dictator" since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

A spokesman for Johnson said the prime minister's warning was not targeted particularly at Macron.

But Johnson was "concerned that some of the commentariat and others have suggested that it may be sensible for Ukraine to seek to negotiate now and end the war and effectively concede sovereignty and parts of eastern Ukraine in exchange for peace now," he said.

"The prime minister's view is that will be wrong."

In an interview with British media, Johnson said that the West should have "very, very honest" discussions on the fallout of the war, including on inflation.

Asked if he was worried that support for Ukraine was weakening in the face of the blowback of the conflict, Johnson said he thought "the pressure is there and the anxiety is there, we've got to be honest about that".

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