Russia’s War in Ukraine is Fundamentally Imperial: Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has described Russia’s war against Ukraine as fundamentally imperial, arguing that Moscow’s view of its own history and status is inseparable from control over Ukraine.

“This is fundamentally an imperial war. This is about Russia’s sense of its history,” the former U.K. prime minister said.

He said Russia had tied its concept of national standing to Ukraine, creating what he called an “absolute disaster” and making the country’s long-term geopolitical position central to any resolution of the conflict.

Russia’s Imperial View

Johnson said the war reflected a deeper Russian belief that its future, dignity and imperial identity could not be separated from Ukraine.

“It’s about Russia’s sense that there’s no possibility of a Russian future or a Russian empire or Russian dignity without Ukraine,” he said.

For Johnson, that makes Ukraine’s eventual alignment more than a secondary diplomatic issue. He argued that uncertainty over where the country belongs has become part of the problem itself.

Pressure for a Clear Western Commitment

Johnson said Western governments should state clearly that Ukraine’s future lies with Western institutions, including NATO.

Ukraine, he said, wants to join the West and become part of the alliances and organizations associated with it.

“We’ve got to stop pussyfooting around about this thing,” Johnson said.

He argued that Ukraine requires a definitive answer over its long-term strategic direction rather than continued uncertainty.

Johnson Rejects Strategic Ambiguity

Johnson questioned what either Ukraine or its Western partners gain from maintaining ambiguity over NATO membership.

He said uncertainty surrounding Ukraine’s status had been a central problem and challenged the argument that offering membership would create unacceptable escalation risks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Well, what a load of bollocks. I mean, it’s the same mentality,” he said.

Johnson framed the issue as a test of whether Western states genuinely accept Ukraine as a sovereign country entitled to choose its own alliances and institutions.

Warning Over a Future Ceasefire

Johnson also warned that continued exclusion from Western institutions could give Putin an opportunity to shape the political narrative inside Ukraine.

He said Russian propaganda could eventually tell Ukrainians that Western governments had refused to admit them into their institutions.

Johnson predicted that a ceasefire could follow “immense suffering”, allowing Putin to argue that his warnings about the West had been vindicated.

He said that if Western governments were ultimately unwilling to fulfill their commitments to Ukraine, they would need a substantially different strategy from the one currently being pursued.