Boris Johnson has insisted Donald Trump would help to “protect democracy against aggression” after discussing Ukraine in a meeting with the Republican presidential nominee amid concerns about his threats to weaken US support for Kyiv.
The two men met on the fringes of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for around half an hour, over which period Mr Johnson said Ukraine was discussed “at length”.
The former prime minister also said Trump had responded with “sheer indomitability” following the assassination attempt against him at the weekend.
“It was great to see president (sic) Trump, who is on superb form following the appalling attempt on his life,” he said.
“I noted the courage, resilience and sheer indomitability with which he has responded.
“We discussed Ukraine at length and I know that he will give the strong and decisive leadership necessary to protect democracy against aggression.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism about Nato, suggesting he would refuse to protect members who fell behind on payments to the military alliance if they were attacked.
During the presidential election campaign he also threatened to reduce military support to Ukraine, claiming last month that he would immediately have the issue “settled” if he were re-elected.
On Tuesday, Hungary’s far-right premier Viktor Orbán said the Republican nominee told him in private talks that he would move quickly to pressure Ukraine to end the war with Russia if he returns to the White House in November.
Mr Orban told European Union leaders in a letter that Trump has developed “well-founded plans” for a peace deal.
A Trump-style peace deal is expected to call on Ukraine to concede much of its invaded territory to Moscow, something Kyiv and most Western capitals bitterly oppose.
Mr Johnson, who has cited the UK’s support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in 2022 as one of the key achievements of his leadership, previously said he endorsed the Republican’s presidential bid as long as he backed Kyiv.
“If he does the right thing and backs the Ukrainians, and I believe he will, a Trump presidency can be a big win for the world,” he wrote in his Daily Mail column.
Fears that America’s support for Kyiv will wane under a Trump presidency have been heightened by his announcement on Monday of JD Vance as his vice-presidential running mate.
The Ohio Senator is a staunch proponent of Trump’s “America First” vision and generally suspicious of US intervention in foreign affairs.
Soon after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Vance declared: “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.”
One senior EU official told Politico that the appointment of Vance was a “disaster” for Ukraine – and by extension the European Union, which has given close to £100bn worth of financial and military assistance to Kyiv since 2022.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government has said it will work with whoever the US electorate returns to the White House, but senior figures were on Tuesday forced to push back against widely criticised remarks by Mr Trump’s candidate for vice president.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she did not “recognise that characterisation” after Mr Vance described Britain under Labour as the first “truly Islamist” country with a nuclear weapon, while Defence Secretary John Healey said the comment was “controversial”.