If there is a turning point in the recent history of Western Europe that Vladimir Putin must have liked, then it is Brexit. After all, the British exit from the EU is symbolic of what the Russian President is aiming for: the division of Europe. But the hope in Moscow that Brexit would not only drive a wedge between the remaining EU countries, but also destabilize NATO, has not been fulfilled. The gulf between Great Britain and continental Europe may have widened, but now Putin of all people is ensuring that London moves closer to Brussels again.
With his war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia’s president has shown the British government how closely the security policy interests are linked to those of the EU. Since Putin’s invasion, Great Britain and the EU countries have been pulling in the same direction. Secret service information is exchanged immediately, economic sanctions are closely coordinated with each other, and of course also with the USA. The Western allies are acting as one, they have a common enemy: the ruler in Moscow.
Johnson and his ministers have to realize that Britain is firmly anchored in Europe
For the British government, Putin’s war means a departure from the illusions that Brexit has nurtured. “Global Britain”, ie the plan to break away from Europe a bit economically and in terms of security policy and to orientate itself more towards the Indo-Pacific, no longer plays a role. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his team of ministers are going through a process of political purification these days. You must realize that Britain’s place in the world is clearly Europe – and not just geographically.
Johnson shouldn’t have much of a problem with that realization. It is not without good reason that it is considered to be extremely versatile. And so it is not difficult for him to revive the almost lost British pragmatism that characterized many of his predecessors. Johnson currently does not want to know anything about fisheries conflicts with France. He does not want to fuel the dispute over Northern Ireland any further. He wants, at least as of now, to pursue a policy that is guided by real political constraints – and not by ideological fantasies.
However, it would be foolish to assume that this will remain the case. Johnson is not afraid to switch anti-EU stances when it is of use to him domestically. So should the Partygate affair flare up again and push Putin’s war out of the headlines, Johnson will do whatever it takes to save his own skin. Basically, he is concerned with being unassailable within the party. His resolute demeanor towards Putin is helping him in this regard. Examples include the early arms shipments to Ukraine and Johnson’s efforts to ban Russian banks from the Swift payments network.
But Johnson wouldn’t be Johnson if he didn’t run the risk of promising more than he can deliver. For example, there is the fight against Putin’s oligarch friends. There are more than 25 names on the EU sanctions list, and less than half on the British list. There is therefore increasing pressure in the British public to move closer to the EU on this issue as well. One can only say: just do it. In the common interest.