Ukraine

PM urges G7 allies to stand firm in support of Ukraine

Boris Johnson has urged Western allies to stand firm over Ukraine as he sought to put his domestic political difficulties to one side.

The Prime Minister met counterparts at the G7 summit in Germany on the latest leg of a series of international summits, which have kept him out of the UK as questions mount over his leadership.

Amid speculation about the appetite of Western leaders to continue to support Ukraine during a prolonged conflict, Mr Johnson said Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to "hack" Russia's neighbour apart with impunity.

Ahead of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Johnson was asked whether France and Germany are doing enough over Ukraine.

Watch: The Chief of Defence Staff reveals 200 Ukrainian soldiers will arrive in the UK every day for training from next week.

The PM praised the Germans without mentioning France.

"Just look at what the Germans alone have done," he said.

"I never believed in my lifetime that I would see a German chancellor stepping up in the way that Olaf Scholz has and sending weaponry to help the Ukrainians to protect themselves.

"He's made huge, huge strides. We have 4% of our gas from Russia, in Germany, it's 40%.

"They're facing real, real pressures, they're having to source energy from elsewhere. But they're doing it. They're making the effort. They're making the sacrifice."

He said Germans realise "the price of freedom is worth paying", despite the domestic consequences.

Mr Johnson added: "The consequences of what's happening for the world are tough, but the price of backing down, the price of allowing Putin to succeed, to hack off huge parts of Ukraine, to continue with his programme of conquest, that price will be far, far higher and everybody here understands that."

Watch: Makeshift vehicles – reminiscent of Mad Max – on show in Ukraine.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky will address the summit by video link on Monday.

In his nightly video address on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said repeated Russian missile strikes show the need for more advanced defensive equipment.

He said: "I will take part in the G7 summit on Monday. The NATO summit will take place next week.

"Forty-five missiles in half a day and just on the eve of such meetings. All clear. Another confirmation of our position.

"This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defence systems – the modern systems that our partners have – should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed."