Boris Johnson stopped off in Dallas on his way to Las Vegas to speak to some conservative Republicans about staying the course in supporting Ukraine’s fight against Putin’s invasion. He may no longer be the Prime Minister of Great Britain but Ukraine’s allies in the United States think BoJo is the perfect messenger to deliver a pep talk to wavering Republicans.

Some pro-Ukraine think tankers brought Johnson to a private lunch in Dallas on Monday. In attendance were two dozen of the state’s leading conservatives. The group was a mix of politicians, donors, and corporate leaders. Johnson delivered a simple message – America must stay the course in Ukraine, as reported by Politico.

“I just urge you all to stick with it,” Johnson told those seated in the grand, wood-panelled dining room in downtown Dallas, where POLITICO was also in attendance. “It will pay off massively in the long run.”

The two most high-profile potential candidates for the Republican nomination — former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — have both voiced skepticism about America’s unwavering support for Ukraine. Trump has pledged to cut a “deal” to “end that war in one day,” while DeSantis dismissed it as a “territorial dispute” which does not involve America’s “vital national interests — though later partially backtracked.

But Johnson told Texan Republicans on Monday: “You are backing the right horse. Ukraine is going to win. They are going to defeat Putin.”

Johnson has lobbied in support of Ukraine before the trip to Dallas. He visited Washington in January and urged the Biden administration to give Ukraine fighter jets. He also privately met with Republican lawmakers on that trip. After that visit, the Center or European Policy Analysis (CEPA) enlisted Johnson’s help with a broader mission, which is to make the case for continuing to help Ukraine. The group asked him to get out of Washington and go deep into Republican territory.

“We wanted to make that case outside of Washington — where we all live in a bubble — and to really take it to the heartland, to places like Texas, to get more support for Ukraine, and make the case to people who are skeptical about that support,” said Alina Polyakova, CEPA’s chief executive.

“In many ways Dallas and Texas are the center of the Republican debate,” she added.

Texas is expected to be a battleground state in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Trump held his first presidential campaign rally in Texas in March. DeSantis and Nikki Haley have been to Texas to raise money for Republicans and court voters. Polyakova said that Johnson is seen as “the architect of the Western policy” on Ukraine. Trump said nice things about him when he was president. The think tank crowd thinks that gives Johnson cred with the base of the Republican Party.

Johnson was not paid for Monday’s lunch engagement, though he has raked in big bucks from speaking fees since he left office, millions of pounds. He arranged the Dallas trip as a stopover on the way to the SCALE Global Summit in Las Vegas. He’ll be paid a six-figure fee for his speech there.

BoJo also met with George W. Bush on Monday in Dallas, where he lives with Laura. He is expected to meet with Governor Abbott in Austin on Tuesday.