We risk returning to ghastly Normandy format – Boris Johnson on Scholz's call to Putin
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes that the recent phone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has created a risk of returning to negotiations in the "ghastly Normandy format".
Source: Johnson on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: Johnson fears that following Scholz’s conversation with Putin, there is a risk of returning to the so-called Normandy Format – talks about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine with the aim of reaching a peaceful settlement, in which Germany and France were also involved.
Johnson also shared President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s view on the current situation.
Quote: "I am afraid Volodymyr Zelenskyy is completely right. We risk drifting back to the ghastly Franco-German Normandy format which treated Russia and Ukraine as equally valid interlocutors in a domestic squabble."
Details: Johnson pointed out that it was Putin who launched the full-scale invasion, "while Ukraine is an entirely innocent party".
Quote: "The only way to bring this war to an end is massively and rapidly to strengthen the position of Ukraine."
Background:
- On the afternoon of 15 November, it was reported that Olaf Scholz had spoken with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the first time in two years.
- According to media sources, Scholz initiated the conversation, and preparations for it had been ongoing for "weeks", coordinated closely with the G7 countries.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on the call, emphasised that it is of no benefit to achieving peace and merely gives Putin hope that Russia’s isolation will be alleviated. Zelenskyy referred to Scholz’s call to Putin as a "Pandora's box".
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