Boris Johnson Tells Kyiv Parliament Ukraine “Will Win” War With Russia
3 min read
In an address to the Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv, Boris Johnson has said the UK government will do “whatever we can” to hold Russia to account for war crimes.
In his pre-recorded speech, the first by a major world leader to the Verkhovna Rada since the outbreak of the conflict, he announced a new £300m package of military aid to support the country's ongoing defence against Russia.
The Prime Minister said it was a “big honour” to address the parliament at “this crucial moment in history”, and praised them for still meeting “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,” he continued.
"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.
"We in the UK will do whatever we can to hold them to account for these war crimes."
Johnson went on to reaffirm his support for the Ukrainian people against Russia, adding: "Ukraine will win. Ukraine will be free".
Praising the courage of the country’s people, he added: "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."
He also confirmed that the UK’s £300 million package of support would include “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,” he said.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, wrote on Twitter that she had “never seen this many standing ovations for a single speech.”
“Ukraine is certainly lucky to have a friend like the UK,” she added.
There will also be a donation of 13 armoured vehicles to help assist the evacuation of civilians from areas in eastern Ukraine currently under siege, the UK government confirmed.
The specialist vehicles will also be used to transport officials to temporary command posts, as well as supporting security authorities rebuilding railway lines in eastern Ukraine.
"This latest donation of armoured vehicles will help protect innocent Ukrainians attempting to flee Russian shelling and support Ukrainian officials carrying out vital work," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.
The vehicles will start to arrive there in the coming days, with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) working to dispatch them “as quickly as possible”.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
