Boris Johnson says Britons must accept higher energy bills as ‘Ukrainians are paying in blood’

The Prime Minister said Britain must ‘stay the course’ in support for Ukraine
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Boris Johnson has called on Britons to bear the pain of higher gas bills as Ukrainians are “paying in blood" on his surprise Kyiv visit.

Making his last trip to Ukraine before leaving office, Mr Johnson pledged a further £54m military aid package, including unmanned surveillance and missile systems.

He said “if we’re paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying in their blood".

His meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky came on Ukraine’s independence day, marking 31 years since breaking from Moscow’s rule following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Mr Johnson said Russian President Mr Putin had been “insane" to launch the invasion and the resistance had been like “an indomitable Ukrainian boxer".

The BBC reported that Mr Johnson also warned that British households will "have to endure the cost-of-living crisis" in order to counter Russia’s "inevitable manipulation of energy prices".

He said: “We also know that if we’re paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying in their blood.

“And that’s why we know we must stay the course. Because if Putin were to succeed, then no country on Russia’s perimeter would be safe, and... (that) would be a green light for every autocrat in the world that borders could be changed by force."

Later Wednesday, Russian missiles struck a passenger train at a station in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and wounding 50 more, said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking in a video address to the United Nations Security Council, Mr Zelensky said the rockets had hit the service in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 people some 90 miles west of Donetsk.

Mr Johnson received “The Order of Liberty” during his visit, Ukraine’s highest award that can be bestowed on foreign nationals, in recognition of Britain’s strong support of its freedom.

The Prime Minister urged the West to show “strength and solidarity” in its support for Ukraine, with British military intelligence chiefs expecting the war to go on into at least next year.

Mr Johnson stressed: “For the past six months, the United Kingdom has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, supporting this sovereign country to defend itself from this barbaric and illegal invader.

“Today’s package of support will give the brave and resilient Ukrainian Armed Forces another boost in capability, allowing them to continue to push back Russian forces and fight for their freedom.

“What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, which is why I am here today to deliver the message that the United Kingdom is with you and will be with you for the days and months ahead, and you can and will win.”

Britain has committed more than £2.3 billion of military and financial aid to Ukraine since the invasion began on February 24.

It is also preparing to give minehunting vehicles to Ukraine to detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast.

Ukrainian personnel will be trained how to use them in UK waters in the coming weeks, as part of an expanded programme of training for the country’s forces.

Mr Johnson became the first leader of a G7 country - US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan - to visit Kyiv since Mr Putin’s invasion when he went under tight security and a veil of secrecy in April.

He returned on a second trip in June.

The Prime Minister will leave office on September 6, the day after either Foreign Secretry Liz Truss or former Chancellor Rishi Sunak emerges as the winner in the Tory leadership contest.

Mr Johnson has formed a close bond with Mr Zelensky, and his latest visit appears intended to demonstrate that the links between the two countries will continue once he has left No10.

Ukraine’s president praised Mr Johnson during his visit, saying he was a "great friend of Ukraine".

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