Boris Johnson meets Zelensky in Kyiv to offer more support

Boris Johnson has travelled to Ukraine for the second time to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in a fresh show of support.

The prime minister was in Kyiv this morning to discuss further military backing for the country as it seeks to repel Russian forces.

Johnson is increasingly concerned that European allies including Germany and France will attempt to pressure Zelensky into accepting a “bad peace deal”.

His visit comes the day after Emmanuel Macron, the French president, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, and Mario Draghi, the Italian prime minister, made a joint trip to Ukraine.

Johnson highlighted his concerns about a peace deal in a speech last week.

He said: “The price of oil and gas looks likely to remain high for a while to come, and the same goes for grain and feed and fertiliser.

“I know that there are some who argue, not in this country perhaps but elsewhere, that the price of supporting the Ukrainians is now too high and they should be encouraged to accept whatever terms Putin may ask.

“I don’t believe that option is really open to us. Never mind that abandoning the Ukrainians would be morally repugnant, since they are the victims, and they have an absolute right to defend a free and independent country.”

Johnson added: “We are simply not in a position to tell them what to do. They have shown by their heroism that they will fight to defend their homeland, and they have shown that they will win. Putin has made a colossal strategic error.

“He would be able to continue to twist the knife in the wound. The crocodile would simply come back for more. And he would be able to claim that his aggression and his violence had paid off. That would be a disaster.”