boris johnson speech about ukraine

Clive Bull 1am - 4am

Now Discussing

Clive Bull is Leading Britain's Conversation.

Use the Global Player app to listen to live radio for LBC & LBC News

Read it in full: Boris Johnson's historic speech to Ukraine Parliament

3 May 2022, 13:43 | Updated: 3 May 2022, 14:42

By Megan Hinton

Boris Johnson said the UK and Ukraine are now "brothers and sisters" during his address to Zelenskyy's parliament this afternoon.

Listen to this article

Mr Johnson is the first world leader to address Ukrainian MPs, since Putin's invasion began in February.

Read his full speech below:

"President Zelenskyy, Mr Chairman, members of the Verkhovna Rada.

"It is a big honour for me to address you at this crucial moment in history and I salute the courage with which you are meeting, the way you have continued to meet, in spite of a barbaric onslaught on your freedoms.

"Day after day missiles and bombs continue to rain on the innocent people of Ukraine. In the south and the east of your wonderful country, Putin continues with his grotesque and illegal campaign to take and hold Ukrainian soil.

"And his soldiers no longer have the excuse of not knowing what they are doing. They are committing war crimes, and their atrocities emerge wherever they are forced to retreat – as we’ve seen at Bucha, at Irpin at Hostomel and many other places.

Read more: 'Ukraine will win': Boris gets standing ovation as first leader to address Kyiv Parliament

Boris Johnson addresses the Ukrainian Parliament

"We in the UK will do whatever we can to hold them to account for these war crimes and in this moment of uncertainty, of continuing fear and doubt.

"I have one message for you today: Ukraine will win, Ukraine will be free.

"And I tell you why I believe you will succeed, members of the Rada When they came to me last year, and they said that the evidence was now overwhelming that Putin was planning an invasion and we could see his Battalion Tactical Groups – well over 100 of them – gathering on the border.

"I also, I remember a sense of horror but also of puzzlement.

"Because I had been to Kyiv on previous visits - and I actually met some of you and I had stood in the Maidan and seen the tributes to those who had given their lives to protect Ukraine against Russian aggression.

"And I’ve wandered the lovely streets of your capital and I’ve seen enough about Ukrainian freedom to know that the Kremlin was making a fundamental miscalculation, a terrible mistake and I told anyone I knew, anyone who would listen that Ukraine would fight and Ukraine would be right and yet there were some who believed the Kremlin propaganda that Russian armour would be like an irresistible force going like a knife through butter, and that Kyiv would fall within days.

"Do you remember they said that?

Read more: Boris squirms as he is grilled about pensioner who rides bus all day to keep warm

Boris Johnson addressing Ukrainian parliament today. I have never seen this many standing ovations for a single speech. #Ukraine is certainly lucky to have a friend like the #UK pic.twitter.com/xZWlCvNDgB — Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) May 3, 2022

"And people rang Volodymyr and offered him safe passage out of the country, and he said – no thanks and that this Rada of yours would have to be reformed outside Ukraine maybe in Poland or even in London perhaps and I refused to believe it.

"And today you have proved them completely wrong, every one of those military experts who said Ukraine would fall.

"Your farmers kidnapped Russian tanks with their tractors.

"Your pensioners told Russian soldiers to hop as we say, although they may have used more colourful language.

"Even in the parts of Ukraine that were temporarily captured, your populations, your indomitable populations turned out to protest, day after day.

"And though your soldiers were always outnumbered – three to one it is now - they fought with the energy and courage of lions.

"You have beaten them back from Kyiv. You have exploded the myth of Putin’s invincibility and you have written one of the most glorious chapters in military history and in the life of your country.

"The so-called irresistible force of Putin’s war machine has broken on the immoveable object of Ukrainian patriotism and love of country.

"This is Ukraine’s finest hour , that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come.

Read more: Priti Patel could face legal action over delays to Ukraine refugee visa scheme

"Your children and grandchildren will say that Ukrainians taught the world that the brute force of an aggressor counts for nothing against the moral force of a people determined to be free.

"They will say that Ukrainians proved by their tenacity and sacrifice that tanks and guns cannot suppress a nation fighting for its independence, and that is why I believe that Ukraine will win.

"You have proved the old saying – it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog – which is an old English saying, I’m not sure how well that translates in Ukrainian but you get what I’m trying to say.

"And as you turned the Russian army back from the gates of Kyiv, you not only accomplished the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century, you achieved something deeper and perhaps equally significant.

"You exposed Putin’s historic folly, the gigantic error that only an autocrat can make.

"Because when a leader rules by fear, rigs elections, jails critics, gags the media, and listens just to sycophants, when there is no limit on his power that is when he makes catastrophic mistakes.

"And it is precisely because we understand this danger in Britain and in Ukraine – precisely because we are democracies, and because we have a free media, the rule of law, free elections and robust parliaments, such as your own, we know that these are the best protections against the perils of arbitrary power.

"When an autocrat deliberately destroys these institutions, he might look as though he is strong and some people might even believe it, but he is sowing the seeds of catastrophe, for himself and for his country, because there will be nothing to prevent him committing another terrible mistake.

"Putin’s mistake was to invade Ukraine, and the carcasses of Russian armour littering your fields and streets are monuments not only to his folly, but to the dangers of autocracy itself.

"What he has done is an advertisement for democracy.

Read more: James O'Brien asks whether the 'Homes for Ukraine' refugee scheme was 'designed to fail'

"On a day when Putin thought he would be in charge of Kyiv, I has the honour of being able to visit your wonderful city, and I saw the defiance of the people of Ukraine, I know so much about the terrible price that Ukrainians have paid and are paying for your heroism.

"Today, at least one Ukrainian in every four has been driven from their homes, and it is a horrifying fact that two thirds of all Ukrainian children are now refugees, whether inside the country or elsewhere.

"So no outsider like me can speak lightly about how the conflict could be settled, if only Ukraine would relinquish this or that piece or territory or we find some compromise for Vladimir Putin.

"We know what happens to the people left in the in clutches of this invader.

"And we who are your friends must be humble about what happened in in 2014, because Ukraine was invaded before for the first time, when Crimea was taken from Ukraine and the war in the Donbas began.

"The truth is that we were too slow to grasp what was really happening and we collectively failed to impose the sanctions then that we should have put on Vladimir Putin.

"We cannot make the same mistake again. And it is precisely because of your valour your courage your sacrifice that Ukrainians now control your own destiny: you are the masters of your fate, and no-one can or should impose anything on Ukrainians.

"We in the UK will be guided by you and we are proud to be your friends,

"I am proud to say our Ambassador, Melinda Simmons, is back in Kyiv to reopen our embassy.

"In January of course– just before Putin launched his onslaught - we sent you planeloads of anti-tank missiles, the NLAWS which I think have become popular in Kyiv, and we have intensified that vital effort, working with dozens of countries, helping to coordinate this ever- bigger supply line, dispatching thousands of weapons of many kinds, including tanks now and armoured vehicles.

"In the coming weeks, we in the UK will send you Brimstone anti-ship missiles and Stormer anti-aircraft systems.

"We are providing armoured vehicles to evacuate civilians from areas under attack and protect officials – what Volodymyr mentioned to me in our most recent call - while they maintain critical infrastructure.

"And I can announce today from the UK government a new package of support totalling £300 million, including radars to pinpoint the artillery bombarding your cities, heavy lift drones to supply your forces, and thousands of night vision devices.

"We will carry on supplying Ukraine, alongside your other friends, with weapons, funding and humanitarian aid, until we have achieved our long-term goal, which must be so to fortify Ukraine that no-one will ever dare to attack you again.

"Here in the UK, in my country, you will see Ukrainian flags flying from church spires and in shop windows You see Ukrainian ribbons on the lapels of people up and down the country.

"There are many reasons your country has evoked such astonishing sympathy in the British people.

"It is a conflict that has no moral ambiguities or no grey areas. This is about the right of Ukrainians to protect themselves against Putin’s violent and murderous aggression.

"It is about Ukraine’s right to independence and national self-determination, against Putin’s deranged imperialist revanchism.

"It is about Ukrainian democracy against Putin’s tyranny. It is about freedom versus oppression. It is about right versus wrong. It is about good versus evil. And that is why Ukraine must win.

"And when we look at the heroism of the Ukrainian people and the bravery of your leader Volodomyr Zelenskyy - we know that Ukraine will win.

"And we in the UK will do everything we can to restore a free sovereign and independent Ukraine.

"Thank you all very much for listening to me today, and slava Ukraini!"

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Oasis to reunite as Gallagher brothers set to play stadium shows next summer, reports claim

Police detain a suspect in the german knife attack that killed three, jermaine jenas slams bbc bosses for not letting him apologise to women at centre of sexting scandal, things can only get worse: starmer to warn brits that country faces long road to recovery, is claims responsibility for fatal knife attack in solingen, germany, putin's grip on russia weakened by ukraine offensive, defence secretary declares, five us secret service agents placed on leave after trump assassination attempt failures, is claim responsibility after three people dead and four injured in germany festival knife attack, israeli air strikes kill dozens in gaza ahead of ceasefire talks in egypt, nasa decides to keep two astronauts in space until february, astronauts stuck in space 'will be stranded until 2025' meaning eight-day trip will take eight months, 'women don't owe you s***': us pop-star chappell roan calls out 'predatory' fans in brutal instagram post, german police scour city for knife attacker who killed three at festival, moscow and kyiv swap prisoners of war as ukraine marks independence anniversary, 'we are with you for as long as it takes': starmer vows unending support for ukrainians amid russia war, ukraine marks 33rd anniversary of independence as war against russia rages, latest news.

See more Latest News

Vehicles towed from Andrew Tate’s home after new human trafficking allegations

Tributes paid to 'kindest, most loving' grandad mauled to death at home by his own xl bully, 'even my dog is disappointed': jermaine jenas says wife is 'raging' and not speaking to him amid sexting scandal, person detained after german police launch manhunt following knife attack that left three dead and five injured, justin bieber and wife hailey announce birth of their first child, kemi badenoch's campaign accuses tory leadership rivals of 'paying for polls' after independent survey puts her in front, police search for knife attacker who killed three in german city of solingen, two men arrested on suspicion of murder after mother and three children killed in bradford house fire, torrential rain causes more chaos after storm lilian batters uk to start bank holiday weekend, italian prosecutors 'not ruling out homicide' as heartbreaking new details revealed over sinking of bayesian superyacht, the news explained.

See more The News Explained

Piccadilly Line to part-close this weekend for two weeks: Here's what you need to know

Rishi sunak facts: height, wife, children and policies revealed, arctic blast sets off government's cold weather payment - but are you eligible for the £25 off energy bills.

See more Royals

Prince Harry and Meghan reveal their gifts to Colombia following quasi-royal tour

Donald trump rejects claims queen elizabeth found him rude: 'i was her favourite president', king charles meets families of three girls killed in southport stabbing, highlights & opinion.

See more Highlights & Opinion

We all have a part to play when tackling violence against women and girls on public transport

End the epidemic: why we need more than promises to stop violence against women and girls, does the us stock market sell-off signal a recession, or is it just a natural adjustment, the government must tackle school absenteeism in a holistic way - not with draconian punishment, britain's latest defence review must be accompanied by a spending boost - and backing ukraine should be key, tonight with andrew marr 09/07 | watch again, tonight with andrew marr 08/07 | watch again, as the dust settles, where do the election results leave the country’s political parties writes andy coulson, tonight with andrew marr 02/07 | watch again, does starmer need scotland for a labour win, more topics.

See more More Topics

War in Ukraine

Cost of living crisis, immigration, crime & police.

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

PM remarks at joint press conference with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv: 24 August 2022

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's remarks at a joint press conference with President Volodymr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a speech in Ukraine

Thank you very much Volodymyr and thank you to the people of Ukraine for the incredible honour that you have done me which is a recognition of the efforts of the UK.

When you rang me at 4 in the morning on that grim day in February and you told me the news that we had been dreading that Putin had been so insane as to invade a sovereign European country,

I told you then that we were shoulder to shoulder with you and that is as true today as it was in that horrific moment.

And I can also tell you that when we met in the high security room in Downing Street to try to understand what was happening, we were filled with foreboding.

We just did not see how this innocent and beautiful country could repel an attack by more than 100 Battalion Tactical Groups, when the suffering and the casualties would be so immense. But you did.

And like one of those indomitable Ukrainian boxers for which this country is justly famous,

you came off the ropes and you hit him with an upper-cut that sent Putin’s armies reeling from Kyiv and then a hook to drive them from Kharkiv,

And it became ever clearer to the world that he had fatally underestimated the grit, the will, and above all the price that you were willing to pay to defend the country you love.

And I salute the heroic dead, I salute the families of the bereaved and the injured,

the emergency services who have been called time after time to the scenes of Putin’s atrocities.

I salute the bravery of the ordinary people of Ukraine who have just got on with their lives.

The teachers, the students, the children.

In our country today young people are getting their grades for their exams and of course it has been a tough time for them,

because we’ve all had to cope with the pandemic.

But I ask them all to think of the children of Ukraine,

two thirds of whom have been driven from their homes, two thirds,

and who have seen nearly a fifth of their schools destroyed or damaged.

And yet working by candlelight or in makeshift classrooms, 7,500 of them have achieved the highest possible grades.

And it is our collective mission to ensure those brilliant students grow up to use their qualifications to achieve their dreams in a peaceful, prosperous and independent Ukraine.

And I believe they will, because out of the ashes of your towns and cities, out of the monstrous scars left by Putin’s missiles, something beautiful is blooming, a flower that the whole world can see and admire and that is the unconquerable will of the Ukrainians to resist.

And that was what Putin failed to understand.

He simply had no idea how much Ukrainians love this extraordinary country with its rich black soil and magical golden domes,

how much they treasure the life, the bustle and the freedom and the Eurovision song contest winning cultural dynamism of Ukraine.

And just as he fatally underestimated Ukraine, he also underestimated the price the whole world was willing to pay to support Ukraine.

We have and we well and even though we must accept after six months of war the price is indeed a high price.

And I have come from a United Kingdom where we are battling inflation that is being driven by the spike in energy prices that is caused by Putin’s war.

And we face strikes being driven by trade union’s bosses who have the ruinous belief that the best way to tackle soaring energy prices is with ever higher wages when that is simply to pour petrol on the flames

and of course we are doing everything we can to deal with the pressures people face on their cost of living and to help people through the difficult months ahead.

And that is why it is so important for you to know now that we in Britain have the strength and the patience to get through these economic difficulties that have been so recklessly driven and exacerbated by the folly and malevolence of one man, Vladimir Putin.

And like every other European country we are of course working to end our dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and we are building those new nuclear power stations, one a year rather than one every ten years, tens of gigawatts of new wind farms and I can tell you that we in the UK will not for one second give in to Putin’s economic blackmail because the people of my countrycan see with complete clarity what is at stake in Ukraine today.

Yes of course, it is about you and your right to live in peace and freedom and frankly that on its own is enough,

but it is also about all of us, all of us who believe in the principles of freedom and democracy and here today now in Ukraine I believe that history is at a turning point and after decades in which democracy has been on the defensive, on the back foot, we have an opportunity to join you in saying no to tyranny, saying no to those who would stifle Ukrainian liberty and independence and we will. And that is why Ukraine will win.

And we also know that if we are paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying for it in their blood and that is why we know that we must stay the course because if Putin were to succeed, then no country on Russia’s perimeter would be safe and if Putin succeeds it would be a green light to every autocrat in the world, a signal that that borders can be changed by force and that is why the British House of Commons, all parties, stood as one, to applaud Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to support the military, diplomatic and economic support that we are giving to Ukraine.

And I’m proud that we have already supplied more arms than any other European country, including 6,900 anti tank missiles, 5000 of the NLAWs, 120 armoured vehicles, Starstreak anti aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles and now the MLRS

And today I can tell you that more artillery and more ammunition is on its way and 2000 UAVs

and we are training 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, alongside our allies, and only the other day I was at Catterick in Yorkshire and I met 400 of your recruits that we are helping to train

and these were people from all walks of life, people who weren’t soldiers, who had never been to battle before. But the grim reality was that in just a few weeks from now they are heading to that frontline.

And when I listened to their cheerfulness and their courage, I knew Ukraine will win.

And in offering this kind of training and equipment,

I also want to applaud our friends around the world, in the EU, the Poles, the Baltic countries, the Dutch, the Czechs, the French, the Germans, the Italians, they’ve been steadfast.

But at this juncture it would be right to pay a special tribute to the outstanding global leadership of the United States of America,

And let me be clear, I believe this commitment by the United States of $40 billion in military support, I think $59 billion all told, has been indispensable to Ukrainian success

and I thank Joe Biden and his team for what he is doing and to all our friends I simply say this: we must keep going. WE must show that we have the same strategic endurance as the people of Ukraine.

We know that the coming winter will be tough, and that Putin will manipulate Russian energy supplies to try to torment households across Europe

and our first test as friends of Ukraine will be to face down and endure that pressure – to help consumers but also to build up our own supplies

and I believe that as we come through this winter, our position will strengthen and with every week that goes by Putin’s position will weaken. And that’s why now we must continue and intensify our support for Ukraine.  The HIMARs the MLRS and all the systems that are proving so effective in Ukrainian hands.

We cannot afford for one moment to relax the sanctions on Putin, and we must keep up the financial and economic support for Ukraine

and every day around the world we must fight Putin’s lies – because it is his war that is pushing up the price of food and oil and gas, not western sanctions

and we must fight any creeping attempt to normalise relations with Putin because it is becoming ever clearer that thanks to the sacrifices of the people of Ukraine, the vaunted Russian offensive in Donbas is failing and therefore this is exactly the moment for your friends to help you strike the Russians just as they begin to wobble.

We know that Putin’s troops are tiring, that his losses are colossal, that his supply lines are vulnerable.

We can see how tiny his recent advances have become, and how huge the cost in Russian blood and treasure and tragically in the tears of Russian mothers.

And we also know that this is not the time to advance some flimsy plan for negotiation with someone who is simply not interested.

You can’t negotiate with a bear while it’s eating your leg, you can’t negotiate with a street robber who has you pinned to the floor and we don’t need to worry about humiliating Putin any more than we would need to worry about humiliating the bear or the robber.

All that matters today is restoring and preserving the sovereign integrity of Ukraine.

And on this anniversary, let us remember that glorious day 31 years ago when on an 84 per cent turnout 92 per cent supported independence.

And this is now a war for that independence and history teaches us that when a country has a language, an identity, a pride, a love of its traditions, a patriotic feeling that simply grows with every month and year that passes,

and when a country of that kind is engaged in a war for its very existence, my friends, that war is only going to end one way.

Ukraine will win,

and Britain will be by your side.

You have reminded us of values that the world thought it had forgotten,

you have reminded us that freedom and democracy are worth fighting for.

I’m proud to count myself a friend of Ukraine, I thank you for the honour that you’ve done me today,

and you can count on me and my country in the years ahead.

Updates to this page

Is this page useful.

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab) .

Advertisement

Invoking Churchill, Boris Johnson says the war is ‘Ukraine’s finest hour.’

In the first address by a foreign leader to Ukraine’s Parliament, Britain’s prime minister burnished his credentials as a supporter of the resistance to Russia.

• Share full article

By Mark Landler

• May 3, 2022

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain told Ukrainian lawmakers on Tuesday that their heroic defense against Russia’s invasion would rank as “Ukraine’s finest hour,” invoking Winston Churchill’s famous declaration about Britons as they faced the Nazi onslaught at the beginning of World War II.

In the first address by a foreign leader to Ukraine’s Parliament, Mr. Johnson burnished his credentials as a stalwart supporter of Ukraine and a close ally of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. In tone and themes, Mr. Johnson’s speech mirrored one that Mr. Zelensky gave to the British Parliament in March.

“You have exploded the myth of Putin’s invincibility and you have written one of the most glorious chapters in military history and in the life of your country,” Mr. Johnson said, referring to the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. “The so-called irresistible force of Putin’s war machine has broken on the immovable object of Ukrainian patriotism and love of country.”

“This is Ukraine’s finest hour, that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come,” he said in a video address recorded from Downing Street that was broadcast in the Parliament’s chamber.

Mr. Johnson insisted that no peace agreement with Russia should be foisted on the Ukrainians by outsiders. The courage of Ukraine’s citizens, he said, had earned the country the right to control its destiny. Moreover, he added, the West had been slow to grasp the threat posed by Mr. Putin when Russia seized Crimea in 2014.

“We collectively failed to impose the sanctions then that we should have put on Vladimir Putin,” he said. “We cannot make the same mistake again.”

Mr. Johnson announced that Britain would provide additional weapons to Ukraine, including electronic warfare gear, a counter-battery radar system and G.P.S.-jamming equipment. The package, valued at 300 million pounds ($375 million), comes on the heels of a $33 billion commitment of arms and humanitarian aid that President Biden has asked Congress to approve.

Britain recently announced plans to provide more sophisticated missiles and air-defense vehicles to the Ukrainian military, as well as armored vehicles to evacuate civilians from areas under attack. Mr. Johnson said Britain had also returned Melinda Simmons, its ambassador to Ukraine, to her post in Kyiv, the capital.

For Mr. Johnson, the invitation to speak to the Parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, was a significant gesture by Mr. Zelensky to a leader with whom he has forged a sturdy relationship over the course of dozens of phone calls. Last month, Mr. Johnson traveled to Ukraine and walked the streets of Kyiv with Mr. Zelensky, winning plaudits from Ukrainians, as well as people back home.

Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party faces difficult local elections on Thursday, and he has yet to escape the shadow of a scandal over his attendance at social gatherings that violated Covid restrictions. But his firm stand on Ukraine has deflected some of the glare from his proliferating domestic woes.

Mark Landler is the London bureau chief. In 27 years at The Times, he has been bureau chief in Hong Kong and Frankfurt, White House correspondent, diplomatic correspondent, European economic correspondent, and a business reporter in New York. More about Mark Landler

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Climate 100
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Wine Offers
• Betting Sites

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Boris Johnson to address nation at noon after Russia declares war on Ukraine

The pm earlier said he was ‘appalled by the horrific events’ in ukraine, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox

Get our free view from westminster email, thanks for signing up to the view from westminster email.

Boris Johnson will address the nation at noon before giving a statement to parliament hours after he joined world leaders in condemning Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine .

After missile strikes were reported in major cities of the eastern European country, the prime minister said Vladimir Putin , the Russian president, had “chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction” .

“I am appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and I have spoken to President Zelensky to discuss next steps,” Mr Johnson tweeted earlier on Thursday.

Before chairing an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the next steps, he added the UK and its allies would respond “decisively” as London warned that Moscow would “incur severe costs’’ of its actions.

It is widely expected the prime minister will reveal the next tranche of sanctions during his update to MPs – expected at about 5pm – after imposing sanctions against five Russian banks and three oligarchs associated with Vladimir Putin earlier this week.

James Cleverly, the Foreign Office minister, earlier insisted “unprecedented” sanctions could still have a “meaningful impact” on the actions of the Kremlin after Russian forces launched an overnight military assault on Ukraine.

It comes after the initial package of sanctions was criticised by senior Conservative backbenchers and opposition figures , including the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who stressed: “The hardest possible sanctions must be taken against all those linked to Putin.”

After missile strikes were reported in the early hours of Thursday morning, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, warned it “could be the beginning of a big war on the European continent” as he appealed for help.

As the crisis intensified, flights between the UK and Ukraine were suspended and the Foreign Office updated its travel advice to warn that British nationals in Ukraine “should not expect increased consular support or help with evacuating”.

The advice added: “Ukraine’s airspace is closed. It is likely that commercial routes out of Ukraine will be severely disrupted and roads across Ukraine could be closed.”

“If you are in the vicinity of military activity and you cannot leave safely, you should stay indoors, away from windows, and remain alert to developments that would allow you to leave safely.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Ukraine invasion - Boris Johnson directly addresses Russian people in their own language: 'I do not believe this war is in your name'

Earlier on Friday, it was announced that the UK will impose direct sanctions on Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov imminently.

Political reporter @itssophiemorris

Saturday 26 February 2022 15:32, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Boris Johnson has directly addressed the people of Russia telling them in their own language: "I do not believe this war is in your name."

In a video message released on Friday night, the prime minister also spoke Ukrainian urging an end to the conflict .

Mr Johnson's latest comments after Kyiv was hit by airstrikes and fighting got closer to the capital.

In the two-minute video posted on Twitter, Mr Johnson said: "The scenes unfolding in the streets and fields of Ukraine are nothing short of a tragedy.

Live updates as Putin authorises military operation

"Brave young soldiers and innocent civilians are being cut down, tanks are rumbling through towns and cities, missiles raining indiscriminately from the skies.

"It's a generation or more since we witnessed such bloodshed in Europe. We hoped we would never have to see such sights again.

More on Boris Johnson

Tory leadership contest: Robert Jenrick would be 'pleased' to have Boris Johnson in his shadow cabinet

Former PM Johnson sounded out about Telegraph role

Boris Johnson meets Donald Trump to talk Ukraine

Related Topics:

• Boris Johnson
• Vladimir Putin

"The people of the United Kingdom stand with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in the face of this unjustifiable assault on your homeland.

"We salute the fierce bravery and patriotism of your government, your military and your people."

The prime minister added that "Putin's actions are leading to complete isolation for Russia".

Key developments:

• Russian invasion reaches Ukraine's capital Kyiv
• Putin urges Ukrainian military to overthrow country's leaders
• Russia kicked out of Eurovision
• Ukraine troops tell Russian warship 'go f*** yourself' before being killed
• EU and US place sanctions on Putin and Lavrov
• NATO bolstering eastern flank

UK to sanction Putin and Lavrov personally

At a virtual meeting with world leaders , the prime minister said his government will personally sanction the Russian president and Mr Lavrov over their "revanchist mission" to overturn the post-Cold War order.

Mr Johnson also said that "immediate action" must be taken to ban Russia from the SWIFT global interbank messaging system that helps facilitate payments.to "inflict maximum pain" on President Putin.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the government is introducing the sanctions against President Putin and Mr Lavrov "in response to Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine".

"We will not stop inflicting economic pain on the Kremlin until Ukrainian sovereignty is restored," she added.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also confirmed he has extended a flight ban meaning "no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace, or touchdown - effective immediately".

US and EU also sanction Russian president

The EU has already sanctioned President Putin and his foreign minister after similarly being accused by Ukraine's president of failing to react hard and fast enough against Russian aggression.

Later on Friday evening, the US also announced its intention to place individual sanctions on the pair.

Read more: Four ways the Russian invasion of Ukraine could end

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called on both the UK and EU to strengthen their package of measures hitting oligarchs supporting the Putin regime and freezing Russian bank assets.

PM: Invasion 'Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences'

Mr Johnson also warned fellow NATO members that "the Russian president's ambitions might not stop there and that this was a Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences", a Number 10 spokesperson said.

Less than an hour earlier, Western officials warned that Russia could use thermobaric weapons against Ukrainian forces if they continue to hold up their advance.

Explainer: What is the SWIFT global payments system?

At present, Ukrainian soldiers are believed to be holding up the Russian advance on Kyiv - with heavy armour still 50km away from the capital.

Earlier this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News that more than 450 Russian troops had been killed, as a fierce resistance meant Moscow "failed" on the main objective on the first day of fighting.

Mr Wallace said it was the UK government's view that President Putin intends "to invade the whole of Ukraine".

Read more: Putin urges Ukrainian military to overthrow country's leaders

PM hits Russia with 'largest set of sanctions every imposed' by the UK

Mr Johnson on Thursday hit Russia with what he described as the "largest set of sanctions ever imposed anywhere by the UK government" , after the attack on Ukraine.

Read more: Boris Johnson unleashes UK's 'largest set of sanctions ever' on Russia

Making a statement in the Commons, Mr Johnson added that there are also plans to introduce legislation that would limit the amount of deposits Russian nationals will be able to hold in UK bank accounts.

The prime minister spoke with leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force today - made up of the UK, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

Explainer: Who are the oligarchs with Kremlin ties targeted in UK's new sanctions against Russia?

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister Mr Lavrov said Moscow would be ready to hold talks with Kyiv but only once Ukraine's military had laid down its arms.

He also said the Kremlin did not want "neo-Nazis" to govern Ukraine.

Related Topics

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Newsletters
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Boris Johnson calls for ban on Ukraine using Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia to be lifted

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his support for Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast and has called on Ukraine’s partners to lift all restrictions on Ukraine using Western-supplied weapons.

Source : Boris Johnson in The Daily Mail , as cited by European Pravda

Details : Johnson said that the last couple of days have been exciting for people who love Ukraine and sincerely want Ukrainians to be free, and described the Ukrainian Kursk offensive as the best news in a long time.

"This lightning dash into the Kursk region reminds us of the key truth about the whole war: that from the beginning we have always underestimated the Ukrainians. We have under­estimated their gift of surprise, the way they ruthlessly kept their latest plan a secret.

We have underestimated their boldness – their willingness to do what people have thought impossible," Johnson wrote.

That is why, according to Johnson, it is now time to give Ukrainian forces the tools they really need to finish their job: "and by that I mean the proper permission to use the tools we have already given."

Johnson wrote that when it comes to the UK’s support for Ukraine, it is time for Keir Starmer, the current prime minister, to stop "pussy­footing around".

"The only way to stop the glide bombs is to hit the air bases used by those Russian planes; and the only way to hit those bases is to use the Western kit they already have. The Ukrainians have the ATACMS system from the US, they have bunker-busting Storm Shadow missiles from the UK.

What they do not have is the permissions they need to use those missiles against their tormentors," Johnson wrote, stressing the need to give Ukraine permission to strike military targets in Russia.

Johnson further believes that it is now time for the UK to show its leadership and demonstrate initiative with regard to Storm Shadow, and the majority of its allies will follow its lead.

"Yes, of course it is always better – as Churchill said – to do things in concert with the Americans. But these are UK weapons, paid for by the UK taxpayer, and we should have the guts to decide how they can be used," Johnson wrote.

Background :

On 17 August, the Times reported that the US was effectively blocking the UK’s authorisation for Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia, amid the Biden administration's concerns about escalating the war.

On 15 August, the UK Defence Ministry confirmed that Ukrainian forces are allowed to use British weapons on Russian territory for self-defence, with one exception : Ukraine cannot use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

Support UP or become our patron !

EXCLUSIVE BORIS JOHNSON: Welcome to Starmer's Britain... twinned with Orwell's 1984

By Boris Johnson, Daily Mail

Published: 16:53 BST, 23 August 2024 | Updated: 07:01 BST, 24 August 2024

View comments

For the first time ever I am becoming seriously worried about free speech in this country.

I don’t just mean the crucial freedom for people to say things that they honestly believe to be true. I mean the freedom to say things that are in fact true, but which the Labour government has decided are no longer acceptable.

Let me give an example. We have a problem with criminal gangs who have, for years, been bringing migrants across the English Channel in small boats. This practice is dangerous, and several hundred people – including children – have drowned.

The sight of these boats has enraged the British public. They cannot understand why it isn’t possible to end this trade in human life.

They cannot understand why the UK Border Force seems to have abandoned any attempt to protect UK borders, and instead spends its time actively ushering these dinghies and coracles to our shores.

A French warship escorts one of the small boats carrying illegal immigrants across the Channel. The British public cannot understand why the UK Border Force seems to have abandoned any attempt to protect UK borders, and instead spends its time actively ushering these dinghies and coracles to our shores 

No one knows who these passengers are, or where they have come from, or what their intentions may be once they arrive in the UK, and yet they are coming in the tens of thousands. The whole farce seems to make a mockery of the UK state, and our ability to control our borders.

People overwhelmingly want to see the people-smuggling gangs smashed, and they want some practical way of deterring the young men - it is mainly young men – from making the voyage. That is why it was so important that we finally had a plan – the Rwanda Economic and Migration Partnership, which, with more time, would unquestionably have worked.

As I said at Dover in April 2022, it was always going to be difficult to implement. I predicted that it would be fiercely opposed by the kind of Left-wing lawyers – Keir Starmer being a prime example – who are so prominent in the world of immigration law.

The opposition was, indeed, concerted, but we would eventually have overcome it (just as we got Brexit done, against very similar opposition).

Even before the Rwanda Plan had a chance to come into force, the mere prospect was having a deterrent effect on the gangs, with potential migrants choosing Ireland, for instance, rather than the UK.

Plenty of other countries started to follow the UK model – opting to frustrate the people-smugglers by sending their victims for processing in third countries.

It was the right plan, and today it remains the right plan. Look at the Channel in the last few weeks – almost 6,000 arrivals since the election, and some days with near record numbers. But Starmer has scrapped Rwanda, and put nothing in its place.

Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper are coming to resemble the two gay Dutch policemen in the Harry and Paul sketch, who congratulate themselves on cutting crime in Amsterdam – by legalising burglary

Far from deterring the gangs, Labour have announced an amnesty for 100,000 who were going to be deported – so that they will now be claiming asylum in the UK, and, inevitably, living here.

Instead of tackling the problem, they appear to be changing the language we use to discuss it so that we should no longer refer to the cross-Channel traffic as ‘illegal’ migration, but only as ‘irregular’ migration.

Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper are coming to resemble the two gay Dutch policemen in the Harry and Paul sketch, who congratulate themselves on cutting crime in Amsterdam – by legalising burglary.

In fact, it would be comical if it were not so serious.

These gangs are cruel. They don’t give a fig for human life. They need to be told the truth – that what they are doing is against the law, and the same goes for the people who make use of their services.

We must not mince our words.

It is illegal to come to this country without authorisation, just as it is illegal to overstay your visa or to engage in a fictitious marriage.

It is illegal for these people to get on boats in France, and try to flout the UK immigration procedures. To say otherwise is an insult to those many people who do the right thing, who fill out forms, who queue at British embassies around the world, and who make use of this country’s abundant safe and legal routes for getting here.

No one could possibly say that this country was not generous, under the Tory government, to those who were fleeing persecution around the world. Look at the scale of the welcome the British people provided in the last few years to those fleeing Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

EXCLUSIVE BORIS JOHNSON: After a week of tactical brilliance, Ukraine could finally end this war

It is grotesque now to tell those legal immigrants – who did the right thing – that they are being lumped together with the law-breakers. It is a moral and political disaster, because of course it will only encourage indiscriminate prejudice against all immigrants, legal or otherwise.

It is also an abuse of the language. You might as well say that shoplifters are no longer guilty of theft but ‘irregular’ shopping and that those drunk at the wheel are guilty of ‘irregular’ driving.

The Labour government is deliberately obscuring the difference between right and wrong, for political ends – because they have abandoned the attempt to control illegal immigration.

It has been quite amazing, in the last few days, to see the speed with which the main broadcasters – and many papers – have adopted this bizarre Labspeak diktat. It is as though this country were turning into North Korea.

The BBC, Sky, Channel 4, they all now refer to the cross-Channel trade as “irregular” rather than “illegal” – even though the law remains the same. Where will all this end?

Once a word becomes disapproved of, especially in a sensitive context such as immigration, it gets harder and harder to use. One can imagine there will come a point, very soon, when it will be actively frowned upon to call any such activities ‘illegal’, even though they patently are. The very phrase ‘illegal immigration’ seems poised to enter the lexicon of inflammatory language – of the kind that can now get you locked up.

Of course it was right to punish the rioters, following the appalling stabbings in Southport. Anybody who rioted, anyone who engaged in violence, anybody who damaged property – they have all deserved the full force of the law.

Some people, on the other hand, have received custodial sentences for posting comments on social media that they believed – at the time – to be true. Some of these seem to have been people with no previous criminal history whatever. Is this really sensible?

We in this country pride ourselves on our free speech. We wag our fingers – rightly – at regimes where they suppress that freedom. We believe that we are among the great global champions of the right to speak your mind, the right that is the foundation of creativity and progress.

Well, we are now losing that reputation, under Starmer, around the world. Rival governments are seeing that ordinary British people are being jailed for a mistaken tweet, while serious and violent criminals are being let out early.

The irony is not lost, believe me, in places like Putin’s Russia.

We seem to be entering a new and topsy-turvy world, where people can be jailed for blurting something on X – formerly Twitter – that they actually believe to be true, while the Labour government wants us to collectively start saying things about illegal immigration that we all know are false.

Welcome to Starmer’s Britain, twinned with Orwell’s 1984.

Share or comment on this article: BORIS JOHNSON: Welcome to Starmer's Britain... twinned with Orwell's 1984

• Add comment

More top stories

• 2.1k comments
• Back to top

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group