The Brief is EURACTIV's evening newsletter : As Boris Johnson’s approval rating sinks to an all-time low

 The Brief — My Kingdom for a Horse!

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network.

By Georgi Gotev | EURACTIV.com 18:45 (updated:  18:46)

The Brief is EURACTIV's evening newsletter. [EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN]

Nothing boosts a politician’s image better than posturing as a leader during times of war. As Boris Johnson’s approval rating sinks to an all-time low over lockdown parties at Downing Street, the Ukraine crisis has thrown him a lifeline.

Instead of resigning – the first of what is likely to be a series of official reports into ‘partygate’ was released on Monday – Johnson has sought to position himself as a defender of the free world.

It is small wonder, then, that he plans to visit the region, announces ‘toughest sanctions ever’ against Russia, offers to dispatch fighter jets to Romania and Bulgaria and warships to the Black Sea, or orders Putin to “step back from the brink of war”.

In the UK Parliament, Johnson has claimed he is “bringing the West together” to deter Russian aggression, telling Labour to focus on the Ukraine crisis and not on the ‘partygate’ scandal that threatens to topple him.

“We’ve got the big calls right, and we — and in particular I — are getting on with the job,” the prime minister said.

But the situation is evolving. Russia says it does not plan to invade, has no territorial claims over Donbas, and does not want war. Russia has a problem with the US, not with Ukraine, says the Kremlin.

Even Ukraine has suggested a Russian attack is not imminent. Its president Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the West of causing ‘panic’ and damaging his country’s economy. But who on Earth would invest in Ukraine these days?

Playing internal policy games at the expense of Ukraine is easy and relatively cheap (except for Ukraine).

The risk is low because, despite the war-like rhetoric, the UK, the US, or any other NATO member will not put boots on the ground to fight for Ukraine if it were attacked. For Russia too, it is relatively inexpensive to pressure the US by bringing troops close to Ukraine’s borders.

Is there a chance of de-escalation? Our take is that there is some momentum for such a denouement.

Besides Washington’s written responses to Moscow, which could open the way for further diplomacy to discuss missile deployment and military exercises in Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to resuscitate the Minsk process to return Donbas under Kyiv’s control, in exchange for autonomy.

De-escalation is good for everyone, while sabre-rattling only suits Johnson’s agenda. In that sense, our wannabe action hero is becoming a risk factor for world stability and should be closely watched. Or perhaps, the best advice would be to ignore him.

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The Roundup

While the row with China has not yet influenced the short-term economic development of Lithuania, jittery investors might be a risk for medium and long-term growth prospects, Tadas Povilauskas, chief economist of Lithuania’s largest bank, told EURACTIV.

After having been ruled incompatible with EU law by Austria’s data watchdog two weeks ago, Google Analytics is now under fire in France, whose own data watchdog has been asked to check whether the tool goes against EU law. EURACTIV France reports.

The European Union is planning to introduce a levy for carbon-intensive goods later this decade, but it risks creating more post-Brexit problems on the island of Ireland, landing importers of UK goods with potentially expensive new procedures.

Since January 1, France has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. For six months, Paris will set the pace and will be responsible for steering the discussions between the member states in Brussels. But what exactly is the Council of the EU and what can we expect from this French Presidency? EURACTIV breaks it all down for you in this video.

An EU-Libya deal under which migrants desperate to reach Europe are turned back and held in “hellish” conditions must be ended, Amnesty International said on Monday, the pact’s fifth anniversary.

The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) is an EU democracy experiment where citizens across Europe are taking part in the EU policy making. Watch EURACTIV’s video to learn more about the Conference.

Forty-four per cent of Europeans believe that climate change should be a priority topic at the Conference on the Future of Europe, according to a new Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Meanwhile, a total of 68 countries agreed to contribute to climate protection and biodiversity conservation by protecting agricultural soils at last week’s global conference of agriculture ministers in Berlin. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Look out for…

Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gives an address at the Third political trilogue on the revision of Europol’s mandate

The European Parliament is hosting a High-level Conference on Afghan Women

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen participates in a virtual roundtable with civil society organisations ahead of the AU-EU Summit

Views are the author’s.

[Edited by Alice Taylor/Zoran Radosavljevic]