YOUR TIME AND INSIGHT. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >> MY PLEASURE. >> NOW TO MORE FROM OUR EXCLUSIVE SIT-DOWN CONVERSATION WITH THE FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, BORIS JOHNSON. HE IS HERE IN THE U.S. TO TRY TO SHORE UP REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR THE WAR EFFORT IN UKRAINE AND THIS WAR HE NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. >> I THOUGHT THEN THAT PUTIN WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY INSANE TO INVADE, THE UKRAINIANS WOULD FIGHT AND THEY WOULD WIN. >> YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN? >> I DIDN'T. I REALLY DIDN'T. I THOUGHT THAT HE WOULD BE RATIONAL. AND THE I THINK THAT HE WAS STUCK IN HIS KIND OF COCOON. WITH SOME VERY CLOSE ADVISERS. AND HE GOT WRAPPED UP IN HIS KIND OF IDEOLOGY ABOUT UKRAINE, HIS WE ARE TO KIND OF VIEW THAT THIS ISN'T REALLY A COUNTRY. AND HE MADE A CATASTROPHIC MISTAKE. >> HOW DID YOUR TRIP DIFFER THIS PAST TIMES AND WHEN YOU WENT IN APRIL JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE WAR BEGAN? >> WHEN I GOT THERE, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, THE PRESIDENT, HAD NOT REALLY BEEN OUT ABOUT IT. HE WAS THERE FOR A LIKE SIX WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE WAR. AND MY PROBLEM WAS THAT I TOOK TWO ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WE WANTED TO DO TO HELP, BUT I NEEDED A PHOTOGRAPH -- >> WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE? >> I WANT TO GIVE A VERY VISIBLE STATEMENT. YOU REMEMBER THAT THIS WAS LAST YEAR, THERE WAS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO TRY TO FIND SOME SORT OF ARRANGEMENT, SOME SORT OF VIEW. >> WHAT IS THE END? WE TALKED TO THE RETIRED GENERAL LAST WEEK WHO SAID THAT THIS IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF MONTHS. WE ARE STILL GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT IT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR. >> IT DEPENDS ON WHAT WE GIVE TO UKRAINE. THEY ARE FIGHTING LIKE LIONS. THEY ARE BRAVE. THIS IS A WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. YOU FOUGHT HERE IN AMERICA. THESE THINGS ONLY GO ONE WAY, IT IS THEIR COUNTRY, NOT EVEN THEIR LAND. >> BEST-CASE SCENARIO, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WOULD TAKE? >> THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO, IT COULD TAKE A FEW MONTHS. IF THEY HAVE THE -- THE LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY FLYERS THAT THEY NEED, IF THEY HAVE THE ARMOR, IF THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT -- >> JOHNSON SAYS HE IS WELL AWARE OF THE MASSIVE FINANCIAL BURDEN THAT THE U.S. IS ALREADY SHOULDERING. >> SO HERE, FOR REALLY A RELATIVELY SMALL OUTLAY, YOU CAN ACHIEVE A LOSS STING SETTLEMENT THAT WILL BE MUCH MORE COST-EFFECTIVE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT I'M NOT GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT AMERICA IS DOING. AND BY THE WAY, I ALSO UNDERSTAND HOW VITAL IT IS ON THE EUROPEAN SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC PUFF UP AND DO MORE OURSELVES. >> HOW MUCH MORE DO WE NEED TO DO? IT SOUNDS LIKE AMERICANS HAVE ALREADY SPENT ABOUT 50 BILLION DOLLARS IN AID, THEY'VE ALREADY PLEDGED ANOTHER 50 BILLION DOLLARS FOR THIS YEAR. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 100 BILLION DOLLARS. ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE, I CAN UNDERSTAND HER PERSPECTIVE. BUT FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WHO IS SAYING LOOK, I AM STRUGGLING WITH INFLATION -- >> WELL WHERE DISINFLATION COME FROM? WHAT CAUSED IT? THAT IS BEING DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC INSTABILITY, BY ALL PRICE SPIKES, CAUSED DIRECTLY BY PUTIN'S AGGRESSION. TO PUSH PUTIN BACK, AND YOU FIX A LOT OF POTENTIALLY BIG PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE. >> WHEN YOU ARE TALKING TO MITCH MCCONNELL, OR KEVIN MCCARTHY, WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FOR? >> ACTUALLY, BOTH MITCH MCCONNELL AND KEVIN MCCARTHY I THINK WILL BE IN A POSITION TO SAY THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE NOW, AND I THINK WE ARE KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGES. >> TODAY HAPPENS TO BE THE THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE UK REMOVING ITSELF FROM THE EU. PUTIN WANTED, HE DESIRED, IT WAS HIS HOPE THAT THERE WOULD BE DESTABILIZATION IN THE EU. YOU FEEL LIKE BREXIT BROUGHT THAT ABOUT? >> NO, NOT AT ALL. I THINK ACTUALLY IF YOU LOOK AT UKRAINE, AT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THERE, I AM SAD TO SAY THAT AFTER, IN 2014 WAS THE REAL MOMENT OF DISASTER. BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN HE WENT INTO CRIMEA AND HE WENT INTO THE DONBAS. AND YOU KNOW, WHAT DID WE DO, DID WE PUNISH HIM? DID THE EU REALLY PUNISH HIM? NO. >> >> WHEN YOU LEFT TO FAMOUSLY REPEATED THE CODE OF ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER -- MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WAS A NOD TO THE OTHER QUOTE FROM THE TERMINATOR CHARACTER, I WILL BE BACK, IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT YOU WILL BE BACK? >> YOU NEVER SAY NEVER IN POLITICS, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT I AM LIVING A HAPPY LIFE, I AM -- IF YOU ASK ME WHAT MY PASSION IS, MY PASSION IS MAKING SURE THAT WE ALL DO, I THINK WE WILL DO ANYWAY, HELP THE UKRAINIANS. >> IT IS NOT OFF THE TABLE THAT YOU MIGHT COME BACK AS PRIME MINISTER? >> LOOK, I MEAN -- >> OKAY, I WILL MOVE ON, I WILL MOVE ON. >> I WOULD NORMALLY SAY THAT THAT IS A BAD IDEA BUT BEFORE I SAID THAT THAT WAS ABOUT AS LUCKY AS BEING BLINDED BY A CHAMPAGNE COURT, OR REINCARNATED AS -- OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. >> WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU? >> I AM STUDYING AWAY ON MY COMPUTER, I AM GETTING UP AND STAYING UP LATE, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE. BOOKS DON'T WRITE THEMSELVES. YOU ARE VERY KIND TO HAVE ME ON. >>