According to Boris Johnson, Germany sought a quick victory over Ukraine, but France remained "in denial" until Russian forces crossed the border.
There were different viewpoints on the tensions between the warring nations before the invasion on February 24, according to the former prime minister.
In an interview with CNN, he made shocking comments about three of the EU's leading countries.
According to Mr. Johnson, the Germans formerly believed that it would be better for Ukraine to declare its independence and for the entire situation to end swiftly if it were to occur, which would be disastrous. That was, in my opinion, a bad perspective to take. But I can see why they would have had that viewpoint.
Since Putin's invasion, Germany has worked to minimize its dependency on Russian energy, but the country still faces a winter of probable blackouts, and in September it announced a £173 billion energy rescue. "Be certain that the French were in denial up until the very last second," Mr. Johnson said.
The handling of the issue by French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the Kremlin just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, has drawn criticism.
In addition, Mr. Johnson claimed that the Italian government under Mario Draghi had "just stated they would be unable to back the position we were adopting," despite having earlier told the newspaper La Repubblica that they had agreed upon the matter.
He once more made the connection between Italy's resistance and its reliance on Russian gas. However, the former prime minister claimed the West quickly realized a unified stance was required since Putin could not be bargained with.
After the invasion, he stated that "the EU has done excellently," adding, "After all my fears, I give credit to the way the EU has acted."
The Elysee did not respond to inquiries, and a spokeswoman for the German government declined to comment. We reached out to sources close to Mr. Draghi, the former prime minister of Italy, for comment.
It occurs as pro-Kremlin military analysts claimed last night that after months of continuous shelling, Russia may withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Numerous Russian bloggers with strong ties to the Putin administration claimed that Moscow is prepared to turn over the facility that was taken from Ukraine in March to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to Rybar, a well-liked Telegram channel that predicted when Kherson would revert to Ukrainian rule, the site's relocation has been negotiated. Rosatom, the world's largest producer of nuclear energy, is reportedly having trouble keeping the area in good condition.
The presidential office of Ukraine failed to respond to the reports.
Germany has vehemently denied Boris Johnson's assertions that it advocated for Ukraine to secede rather than engage in a protracted conflict before Russia invaded that country.
In an interview with CNN, Johnson further asserted that Italy, then under the leadership of Mario Draghi, declared it could not assist because it relied on Russian hydrocarbons and that French President Emmanuel Macron was denying the invasion threat.
Olaf Scholz's spokesperson refuted the allegations while poking fun at Johnson in a courteous manner.
The person stated, "We are aware that the extremely funny former prime minister always has a special relationship with the truth; this situation is no exception." The German ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, supported the debunking of Johnson's story.
Johnson's assertions resemble those made by Andriy Melnyk, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, who claimed that before the invasion, German politicians informed him that it was unnecessary to offer any assistance because they expected Ukraine to be defeated in three days.
In March, Melnyk asserted on Twitter: "On February 14, we warned German politicians that Kyiv would be bombed soon! Twelve thousand anti-tank rockets from Germany are badly needed; nothing but contempt in return.
Andrei Melnyk, the incoming president of Ukraine, claims that the German finance minister opposed arming Ukraine or cutting off Russia from international banking transfers. According to the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Christian Lindner, Germany's finance minister, told him with a smirk that he believed Ukraine would fall apart in a matter of hours. “I couldn't agree with that; I thought that was a bad viewpoint,” said Johnson.
But he added that he can comprehend their thoughts and feelings. The French were in denial about Russia's plans for Ukraine, according to the foreign secretary of Britain, Boris Johnson.
Gen. Eric Vidaud, head of French military intelligence, was ordered to resign in March, in part for "failure to anticipate" the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Once the invasion began, Britain was unsure how Ukraine or its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, would respond.
