Gone and quickly forgotten: World shrugs shoulders at fall of Boris Johnson – except for Ukraine

It is not just the Westminster stage that Boris Johnson has announced he is exiting, it is also the global one.

His resignation means he will no longer appear at any more all-important, high-profile summits and meetings.

Instead, world leaders will have to deal with a new prime minister. And it is probably the case that few countries or leaders will miss him, except for one.

If there is a place that laments the downfall of Boris Johnson, it is Ukraine.

There he is the most famous foreign leader, bar President Vladimir Putin. In virtually every interview, from civilians fleeing frontline cities to defence officials, Boris is praised as Ukraine’s closest ally.

Ukrainians even took to social media to congratulate him on surviving a vote of no-confidence in June.

There has been genuine confusion among those The Independent have interviewed in the past few days over why Britain would want to get rid of a “such a great man”.

And so for Kyiv, the domestic turmoil which has forced Mr Johnson to finally step down, may deal quite a blow.

A large part of this adoration is due to the fact that Mr Johnson is among the only foreign leaders to have made two surprise visits to President Zelensky in Kyiv, the last in June. The Ukrainian leader said Thursday’s news had been met with “sadness” in Kyiv.

Just last week, the UK announced a further tranche of £1bn in military assistance to Ukraine. That brings the UK’s total military and economic support to an eye-watering £3.8bn, making the UK second only to the US.

The UK was also among the first nations to supply arms to Ukraine early on, including Nlaw anti-tank weapons, M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and short-range Brimstone missiles.

Because of this and the perceived role Mr Johnson has played in rallying Europe around Ukraine he has become a celebrity in the country.

He was made an honorary citizen of the strategic port city of Odesa. Several Ukrainian towns have already reportedly announced plans to rename streets after him.

In fact, a June poll by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft found that in Ukraine Boris Johnson was almost as popular as President Zelensky, beating US president Joe Biden and miles ahead of the French and German leaders.

MPs and officials say he set the “highest benchmark” internationally in terms of support of Ukraine and was leading the fledgling international coalition against Putin.

They hope that whoever comes next will meet those standards and even surpass it.

But with Mr Johnson accused of neglecting the UK’s most pressing domestic woes and the government collapsing so spectacularly, whoever follows him will have to focus on consolidating the leadership again and on everyday household concerns. This may eclipse Ukraine, Russia and a war which is 3,000km (1,865 miles) away.

Bel Trew in Dnipro, Ukraine

A “48 hours of circus” is how one French paper described the build-up to Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday.

Xural.com