Porkie pies pair must keep peace

Boris Johnson was such a rubbish Foreign Secretary, his proposed dash to Eastern Europe to solve the crisis over Ukraine should worry us all. Vladimir Putin is an even bigger liar than he is and between them they could devise another porkie pie plot.

Yet Mr Putin and Mr Johnson are what we have, and we implore them both to tread carefully as Europe nudges ever closer towards war.

And we can see why Mr Johnson might prefer to flee the country than be around when Sue Gray reports this week on the No10 parties.

While this newspaper believes it is right to face down Russian might, some of the language used has been over the top.

Even Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Western leaders to pipe down because careless talk really could cost lives.

We would like to be able to take President Putin at his word and believe that he has no intention at all of invading Ukraine.

But on the Russian leader’s past form, that cannot be guaranteed. That is why what is needed now is quiet but firm diplomacy.

AGGRESSOR

And we must understand how others might see us. To our eyes NATO is purely a defensive shield. But to the Russian people it may look more like an aggressor as countries closer to their borders join the alliance.

Similarly, we see North Korea as a rogue nation run by a megalomaniac who likes to throw warheads around. North Koreans may well believe those missiles are the only deterrent against a nuclear first strike by the West.

So diplomacy is also about reassuring all peoples we wish them no harm, as that is ultimately what will make the world a safer place.

It was American president Ronald Reagan who almost took the world to war because his inflammatory language was misunderstood by an alarmed Kremlin. It is a vital lesson from history we should learn.

World leaders must watch their Ps and Qs so we can all live in peace and quiet.