Monday 27 June 2022 12:51 AM G7 meeting in Bavaria: Boris Johnson rallies group to keep up the fight on ... trends now
World leaders last night agreed a new ‘surge’ to defeat Vladimir Putin in Ukraine after Boris Johnson warned ‘backing down’ now would be a catastrophic mistake.
At a summit in Germany, Emmanuel Macron, who had been seen by No 10 as wavering, yesterday said he was committed for the long haul after the Prime Minister warned against encouraging Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a peace deal.
Downing Street said the Russian leader’s decision to fire missiles on the Ukrainian capital had ‘stiffened the resolve’ of leaders.
‘There is a real sense that Putin was stupid to bomb Kyiv as the G7 gathered’, a No 10 source said. ‘It has made the leaders more united’.
The timing of the attack was seen as a pointed message to G7 members to encourage Ukraine into a peace deal where it cedes large portions of its territory. And in a moment of light-heartedness yesterday, the leaders sat together and joked about the Russian leader’s fondness of being photographed without a shirt on.
Welcome: Boris and Carrie Johnson at the G7 summit in Germany’s Bavarian Alps yesterday
Macho man: Vladimir Putin’s famous horse riding pose
As they sat down for a meeting in the Bavarian Alps, Mr Johnson questioned whether they should keep their suit jackets on.
‘Shall we take our clothes off?’ he asked, as leaders endured sweltering temperatures inside the summit venue as the German hosts opted not to use air conditioning in a bid to be environmentally friendly. ‘We all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin’.
Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, referred to an infamous picture of Putin on a ‘bare-chested horseback ride’, before Mr Johnson added: ‘We’ve got to show our pecs.’ The Prime Minister yesterday argued that the leaders must help ‘strengthen Ukraine’s hand’ by providing more military support rather than encourage Mr Zelensky to give up territory in a peace deal.
Mr Johnson and Mr Macron, who have until now had a strained relationship, yesterday agreed to a ‘reset’ as they held one-on-one talks at the summit.
A No 10 source said that they now believed the French president was ‘on the
