Former PM Boris Johnson visited the towns of Borodianka and Bucha (Picture: Reuters)
Boris Johnson has made an unofficial visit to Ukraine where he was taken to some of the most devastated areas since Russia’s invasion began.
Escaping renewed scrutiny over his personal finances in the UK, the former prime minister travelled to the country at the invitation of Volodymyr Zelensky.
A video shows the Ukrainian president and other government officials welcoming Mr Johnson earlier today.
‘You shouldn’t have bothered. Oh dear, I’m too honoured,’ the ex-Tory leader can be heard gasping.
He travelled to Bucha and Borodianka, outside Kyiv, where the bodies of civilians were found scattered, many with bound hands and close-range gunshot wounds last year.
There are already concerns the visit could undermine the current PM’s authority on foreign policy.
Both areas were heavily damaged in the first few months of the war (Picture: Reuters)
Mr Johnson was invited by the Ukrainian president (Picture: Reuters)
He is expected to leave Ukraine later today (Picture: Reuters)
But Downing Street indicated Rishi Sunak is ‘supportive’ of Mr Johnson’s trip and any colleague who demonstrates ‘the UK is behind Ukraine’.
After meeting with Mr Zelensky, he is expected to leave Ukraine later today.
In a statement, Mr Johnson said: ‘It is a privilege to visit Ukraine at the invitation of president Zelensky. 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.
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‘This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job.
‘The sooner Putin fails, the better for Ukraine and for the whole world.’
This was Mr Johnson’s second appearance on the international stage in a matter of days, after he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
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The former PM is currently facing renewed scrutiny over his personal finances in the UK.
