Ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is calling it like he sees it.
Johnson on Monday blasted the Republican party in the U.S. for having a “homoerotic fascination” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Some of these people think he’s an all-around stand-up guy and they love his manly Christianity,” Johnson said at Fortune’s Global Forum.
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It seems like the famous 2009 picture of Putin horseback riding shirtless in the Siberian mountains burns bright in Johnson’s mind. He joked at a G7 conference in 2022, “Jackets on? Jackets off? Shall we take our clothes off? We have to show that we’re tougher than Putin,” as leaders sat down for lunch.
Johnson on Monday took a more serious tone regarding Putin in his speech, which came less than a week after Donald Trump’s re-election. Trump campaigned on the promise that he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” and before he even entered office.
“It’s complete nonsense. He’s a tyrant and a kleptocrat and a murderer and a very, very dangerous and bad man,” he said of Putin. “But there’s no question that some of those people are in the 47th President’s ear, and they’re whispering a lot of absolute nonsense to him.”
Johnson served as prime minister and leader of the Conservative party from 2019 to 2022, overlapping with two of Trump’s years in office and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“I’m absolutely convinced that it would be a disaster for the world if Ukraine were to go down,” he added. “I nonetheless cling to my memory of Trump when he was in office, where actually he was pretty tough on Putin.”
This memory is perhaps only shared by Trump himself. Trump’s flattery of the authoritarian leader was a defining mark on his presidency and post-presidency life— much to the chagrin of his national security advisers and intelligence officers.
Trump has relentlessly criticized President Joe Biden for sending aid to Ukraine and failing to end the war, but has not offered his own plan as to how to end it. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump actually does not have a plan, and is currently taking suggestions from aides. But his posturing on the issue has already gained him a fan— Putin himself.
“We surely hear that Mr. Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it,” Putin said in 2023.
“Well, I like that he said that,” Trump responded. “Because that means what I’m saying is right.”
