“We all know that it was … sick-making to watch Putin being welcomed to America like that. We all know that.”
In more positive comments towards the U.S. administration, Johnson said Trump had “actually continued to let the weapons go to Ukraine, which is the most important thing.”
Trump hosted the Russian leader in Alaska last month for a summit on how to resolve the war in Ukraine, with Putin greeted by a military flyover and a red carpet. The talks ended without an agreement.
Johnson has previously criticized Europe for not having “the balls” to fully back Ukraine under Joe Biden’s presidency. He argued that Russia’s economy remained perilous and that the war triggered by its invasion of Ukraine could end by December.
“Putin is in a much, much weaker position than people say,” the ex-PM argued. “You’re seeing a 10 percent reduction in Russia’s output of gasoline. You’re seeing shortages of fuel. Inflation is going up.”
He added: “If Donald Trump applies the pressure that he can and he’s then backed up by Britain and Europe, I think that there can be a real change here, and I think this war could be over by the end of the year.”