Boris Johnson has issued an open invitation to disgruntled Russian scientists to desert in the UK, as he used the G7 summit to argue that allowing Russia to prevail in Ukraine would mark the beginning of a very damaging era of global instability.
As part of an expansion into a twinning system with Ukrainian universities, which allowed Ukrainian academics to continue their research at UK institutions, Johnson said the offer extends to his Russian counterparts.
“To Russian scientists and researchers who are dismayed by Putin’s violence and no longer feel safe in Russia: you should freely apply to come to the United Kingdom and work in a country that values openness, freedom and the pursuit of knowledge, ”Johnson said.
The so-called at-risk researchers scheme, which now has an expanded budget of almost £ 10 million, will bring some 130 Ukrainian academics to the UK and support them.
The Prime Minister has focused significantly on Ukraine at the G7 meeting in southern Germany, and although UK officials say the summit has seen unprecedented unity among world leaders for long-term support, there there has been little concrete action.
Downing Street said he hoped this would happen at the subsequent NATO summit in Madrid, which Johnson will travel to on Tuesday.
Johnson’s spokesman said that while it remained to be seen what the statement at the end of the G7 summit contained, Johnson’s main goal for the event had been to help ensure “complete unity.”
He added: “Obviously, this G7 should not be seen in isolation, because then we move directly to NATO, where I think you could see more detailed elements of how this support and commitment could be produced.”
In increased efforts by Russian rocket attacks on civilian targets during the summit, Johnson has argued that while support for Ukraine’s resistance will lead to further price increases and other economic pains, the consequences of a Russian victory would be very high. worse, even for the British.
Comparing the need to oppose Russia with the situation of World War II, Johnson said that while opposing fascism also entailed enormous costs, it entailed decades of prosperity and stability.
Speaking to BBC News, Johnson said there was a need for “strategic resistance”.
He said: “Just in terms of maintaining the course, imagine if we didn’t. Imagine if we allowed Putin to escape with the violent acquisition of large parts of another country, an independent sovereign territory; the lessons of this would be absolutely creepy in all the countries of the former Soviet Union.
“In terms of economic effects, that would mean long-term instability and anxiety around the world.”
In general, the prime minister argued, “the price of freedom is worth paying.” He said: “Just remember that mid-century democracies took a long time to recognize that they had to resist tyranny and aggression. It was very expensive.
“But what he bought in the end, with the defeat of dictators, especially Nazi Germany, bought decades and decades of stability, a world order that was based on a rules-based international system. And it’s worth protecting, it’s worth defending and it offers long-term prosperity. “
The impact of a Russian victory, Johnson added, “will also be felt in East Asia,” an apparent reference to Chinese ambitions in Taiwan.
Asked about this, Johnson’s spokesman said he would not identify individual countries, “but I think the prime minister is aware of the kind of lessons in history about not being seen as taking solid action when authoritarian leaders are watching closely.”