UK’s Johnson says he fears Ukraine will be coerced to make a ‘bad peace’

© Reuters. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a news conference during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Lemigo Hotel, in Kigali, Rwanda June 24, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/Pool via REUTERS

KIGALI (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that he feared Ukraine could face pressure to agree a peace deal with Russia that was not in its interests, due to the economic consequences of the war in Europe.

“Too many countries are saying this is a European war that is unnecessary … and so the pressure will grow to encourage – coerce, maybe – the Ukrainians to a bad peace,” he told broadcasters in the Rwandan capital Kigali, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit.

Johnson said the consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin being able to get his way in Ukraine would be dangerous to international security and “a long-term economic disaster”.