LONDON — Global leaders have reacted to Boris Johnson’s resignation, with the Kremlin in particular expressing pleasure at the U.K. prime minister’s exit.
Johnson announced Thursday that it’s time for his party to choose a new leader and, therefore, a prime minister after more than 50 people resigned from his government in protest at his leadership.
As events unfolded in the U.K. Thursday, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov said: “He doesn’t like us, we don’t like him either,” according to a Reuters translation.
The Kremlin and the Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Speaking Friday morning, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign affairs minister, said that Johnson “kept saying that Russia should be isolated, while his own party has isolated Boris Johnson himself instead.”
“I don’t even want to comment on this, because Boris Johnson, with all his activities as Prime Minister, and as Foreign Minister, proved that he is a man who primarily chases after superficial effects, holds on to power in order to raise his political career in every possible way.”
The acrimonious relationship between Boris Johnson and Russian leader Vladimir Putin might not come as a surprise to many. Johnson’s military support to Ukraine has often raised criticism in Russia. In fact, Moscow banned Johnson from entering Russia as part of a wider package of sanctions related to the war.
But Johnson’s departure will almost definitely not mean a change in policy toward Ukraine and Russia.
“Let me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know, we in the U.K. will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes,” Johnson said during his resignation speech Thursday.
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/russia-cheers-boris-johnsons-demise-as-world-reacts-to-the-uks-political-drama.html
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