Boris Johnson has made a surprise and unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday. The former Prime minister said he had been invited by Ukraine’s President Zelensky. Mr Johnson visited both Bucha and Borodianka, where Russian troops committed atrocities during their short-lived occupation of the two towns, which lie to the north of Kyiv.
While in Bucha, Mr Johnson went inside a church and was accompanied by police.
Later he met for informal talks with President Zelensky and several ministers in government buildings in central Kyiv.
In a video posted by the President’s office, Mr Johnson can be heard telling his host about the “appalling” destruction he had seen.
He said: “It’s still going on every day. I will do whatever I can.”
The Tory MP urged fellow Western leaders to “double down” on their efforts to supply Kyiv with the weapons it needs to drive Putin and his army out of Ukraine.
In statement released during his visit, he said: “This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job.”
“The suffering of the people of Ukraine has gone on for too long.
“The only way to end this war is for Ukraine to win – and to win as fast as possible.
“The sooner Putin fails, the better for Ukraine and for the whole world.”
Mr Johnson added: “It is a privilege to visit Ukraine at the invitation of President Zelensky.
Mr Johnson’s visit will undoubtably be seen by some as an attempt to upstage the present British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
READ MORE: Boris makes surprise visit to Kyiv for unofficial Zelensky talks
Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, said ex-prime ministers “shouldn’t be looking for publicity and kudos.
“They should be helping support the UK government and keeping in the background”.
Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, also said Mr Johnson should “not interfere” with the official relations between the countries when the possibility of Mr Johnson’s trip first emerged.
It comes as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly claimed he would like “nothing more” than to see Ukrainians equipped with German-made Leopard 2 tanks.
Mr Cleverly was asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on her Sunday programme whether he was disappointed Germany had not authorised the release of its Leopard 2 battle tanks.
The Foreign Secretary refused to directly criticise Berlin, saying it was for “every sovereign government to decide how they are best able to support the Ukrainians as a member of Nato.”
However, he noted there is nothing he would like more than to see the Ukrainians armed “with those most up-to-date armoured vehicles”.