Berlin rejects ex-UK PM Johnson's remarks on Ukraine war stance

BERLIN

Germany on Wednesday dismissed former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s allegation that Berlin initially wanted Ukraine to quickly surrender in the wake of Russia’s war in February.

“We know that the very entertaining former prime minister always has his own relationship with the truth,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a weekly press briefing.

Hebestreit added that he was “tempted to switch to English and say it’s ‘utter nonsense’ what Boris Johnson said.”

He stressed that Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government as a whole decided on substantial arms deliveries to Ukraine, so "the facts speak against this assumption."

Speaking to CNN’s Richard Quest in Portugal, Johnson said the attitudes of Western nations varied widely before Moscow launched its "special military operation" on Feb. 24, criticizing French, German and Italian stances on the prospects of war.

“The German view was at one stage that if it were going to happen, which would be a disaster, then it would be better for the whole thing to be over quickly, and for Ukraine to fold,” Johnson said, citing “all sorts of sound economic reasons” for that approach.

Berlin heavily relied on Moscow for oil and gas, and at first hesitated to send heavy weapons to Ukraine.