London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2025

Ukraine: Vladimir Putin using barbaric tactics, Boris Johnson says

Ukraine: Vladimir Putin using barbaric tactics, Boris Johnson says

Vladimir Putin is engaging in "barbaric and indiscriminate" tactics targeting civilians, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister said the Russian president had "fatally underestimated" the willingness of the Ukrainian people to fight - and the resolve of the West.

Speaking during a visit to Poland, he also said the UK had set aside £220m in humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said "nothing and no one is off the table" for further sanctions.

The UK is considering calling for Russia to be expelled from the UN Security Council, the BBC understands.

Mr Johnson said he was "increasingly confident" Russia's invasion would not succeed, adding that Mr Putin "must fail" in his aims in Ukraine.

During a news conference with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki in the Polish capital Warsaw, he said Mr Putin was prepared to "bomb tower blocks, to send missiles into tower blocks, to kill children, as we are seeing in increasing numbers".

The sixth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen continued attacks on several fronts, but the Russian advance has reportedly been slowed by Ukrainian resistance.

Earlier, Russia attacked a TV tower in Kyiv - with Ukrainian officials saying five people were killed.

Missiles and rockets have also killed dozens of civilians in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and satellite images show a huge armoured convoy heading towards Kyiv.

At a further news conference with the Estonian prime minister and the Nato secretary-general in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Mr Johnson said the international community must do everything it can to support Ukrainians, but said "we will not fight Russian forces in Ukraine".

He said the UK was not actively supporting its citizens to volunteer to fight in Ukraine and ruled out a no-fly zone over the country.

Ukraine has called for help to enforce a no-fly zone - which would be designed to stop Russian air raids - in a bid to protect civilians.

In a speech after the news conference in Warsaw, Mr Johnson announced the emergency aid and said the UK had placed 1,000 troops on standby to help with the humanitarian response in Europe.

He said the government was making it easier for Ukrainians in the UK to bring their relatives out of the country, by extending the scheme to help those fleeing the war - which could see the UK take in more than 200,000 Ukranian refugees.

The scheme is being extended to include immediate Ukrainian family members - meaning adult parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings of those settled in the UK.

But Home Secretary Priti Patel said the UK could not waive the need for visas for people fleeing Ukraine as it had to protect national security.

She also announced a "humanitarian sponsorship pathway" for Ukrainians without ties to the UK to come to the UK by working for individuals, businesses, charities and community groups in the UK.

Mr Johnson has also warned there would be a cost to Western economies as a result of sanctions, adding it was essential Europe "wean ourselves off dependence" on Russian oil and gas exports.

Following his speech, Mr Johnson was confronted by a Ukrainian who criticised Nato's response to the invasion, and asked why Russian oligarch and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, thought to have close ties to Mr Putin, had not been sanctioned by the UK.

Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Ukrainian civil society organization Anti-Corruption Action Centre, said: "You are talking about more sanctions prime minister but Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned, he's in London, his children are not in the bombardments, his children are there in London."

Mr Johnson said he welcomed her question - but he was "acutely conscious that there is not enough we can do as the UK government to help in the way that you want".

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned "nothing and no-one is off the table" in terms of further sanctions on the Russian economy, Mr Putin and the "highest echelons of the Russian elite".

She told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva the Russian president was responsible for civilian deaths and more than half a million refugees so far.

On Tuesday evening, the government announced new sanctions against Belarusian individuals and organisations. Belarus is closely aligned with Russia and there is speculation troops from Belarus could join the fight on Russia's side.

During a visit to a Ukrainian church in west London, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told one parishioner he would "talk to the government" about a no-fly zone.

Sir Keir also said "we need to go further in our support for Ukraine", adding that he did not think the government had gone far enough to help people who were fleeing.

In other developments:

*  Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of committing war crimes and receives a standing ovation in the European Parliament as he says: "Nobody will break us."

*  The International Criminal Court has signalled it plans to open an investigation into alleged war crimes

*  Stock markets across Europe have fallen further, while Brent crude oil prices soared more than 5% to above $103 per barrel on Tuesday

*  The UK has passed a law banning ships with any Russian connection from entering its ports.

The prime minister said on Tuesday the Russian president and military commanders could face charges for war crimes if reports of attacks on civilians could be verified.

Mr Johnson said: "I think that everybody involved in the Russian onslaught should understand that all this will be collated in evidence to be used at a future time in what could be proceedings before the International Criminal Court."

Shadow defence secretary John Healey said the Labour Party would support the UK government in responding to the invasion, adding: "The most important thing is there is a united UK voice."

The Prince of Wales has also condemned the "brutal aggression" against Ukraine, in the strongest comments so far from the Royal Family about Russia's invasion.


Ukrainian in tears during question to UK PM

Building hit by missile in Kharkiv's Freedom Square

Watch: Deputy PM Dominic Raab says the ICC is looking at situation is Ukraine "very carefully"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
US Envoy Witkoff to Convene Security Advisers from Ukraine, UK, France and Germany in Miami as Peace Efforts Intensify
UK Retailers Report Sharp Pre-Christmas Sales Decline and Weak Outlook, CBI Survey Shows
UK Government Rejects Use of Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Aid for Ukraine
UK Financial Conduct Authority Opens Formal Investigation into WH Smith After Accounting Errors
UK Issues Final Ultimatum to Roman Abramovich Over £2.5bn Chelsea Sale Funds for Ukraine
Rare Pink Fog Sweeps Across Parts of the UK as Met Office Warns of Poor Visibility
UK Police Pledge ‘More Assertive’ Enforcement to Tackle Antisemitism at Protests
UK Police Warn They Will Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’
Trump Files $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against BBC as Broadcaster Pledges Legal Defence
UK Says U.S. Tech Deal Talks Still Active Despite Washington’s Suspension of Prosperity Pact
UK Mortgage Rules to Give Greater Flexibility to Borrowers With Irregular Incomes
UK Treasury Moves to Position Britain as Leading Global Hub for Crypto Firms
U.S. Freezes £31 Billion Tech Prosperity Deal With Britain Amid Trade Dispute
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Potential UK Return Gains New Momentum Amid Security Review and Royal Dialogue
Zelensky Opens High-Stakes Peace Talks in Berlin with Trump Envoy and European Leaders
Historical Reflections on Press Freedom Emerge Amid Debate Over Trump’s Media Policies
×