Johnson said the single most important thing “we can do” is to communicate to the Russian public that the Ukrainian army will fight. He predicted “bloody resistance” should the Kremlin further invade the country.
“Parents, mothers in Russia should reflect on that fact. I hope President Putin steps back from that conflict and engages in dialogue,” Johnson said.
Our central and eastern Europe correspondent, Shaun Walker, is also at the palace:
It turns out that the last time a British prime minister was in Ukraine was John Major in 1996.
Back then, just five years after Ukrainian independence, the questions on the agenda were British support for Ukraine and the clean-up of the Chernobyl site.
It’s taken 22 years for another British prime minister to arrive, and Johnson is only staying in town for a few hours.
Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968)
Just arrived at the Mariinski palace where Boris Johnson is holding talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Snow in the ornamental gardens and a district chill in the air. Weeks into this crisis the big question unclear: will #Russia invade? pic.twitter.com/TvbH1y5bWi
Nicola Sturgeon has called on the prime minister to tackle the corrupting influence of Russian oligarchs in London’s financial industry and the Conservative party, suggesting that his inaction has directly contributed to Vladimir Putin’s sense of impunity over Ukraine.
As Boris Johnson flew to Kyiv on Tuesday – in a show of solidarity and with hopes of distracting from the continuing domestic crisis around Downing Street’s lockdown parties – Sturgeon urged him to “rebuild his government’s tattered reputation” by taking overdue action on Russian funding in the Conservative party and “Londongrad”-style influence operations in the UK.
Writing for the Guardian, Scotland’s first minister said: “We cannot be blind to the circumstances which have led to the current crisis, and that includes the situation where wealth with direct links to the Putin regime has been allowed to proliferate here in the UK with often the scantest of regard paid to its provenance or to the influence it seeks to bring to bear on our society.
“[Johnson] must recognise that both his government and his party have enabled this situation, and he must acknowledge that the most resolute action he can take is at home, to rebuild his government’s tattered reputation.”
A reader has pointed out that a maskless Johnson was very close to a maskless Liz Truss yesterday in parliament. Truss tested positive hours later.
Here’s a photo of them:
Wonder if President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will keep his distance today.
During his brief trip to Kyiv, Boris Johnson is also doing some local sightseeing. He is holding talks shortly with Volodymr Zelenskiy at the president’s official residence, a vividly turquoise baroque palace overlooking the Dnipro River.
The architect of the Mariinski building is Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also designed the winter palace in St Petersburg, as well as other imperial masterpieces.
After a press conference scheduled for 6.45pm local time (4.45pm GMT), Johnson and Zelenskiy are due to visit St Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv’s oldest standing church.
Dating back to the 11th century, it was built to celebrate Prince Yaroslav’s victory over tribal raiders. The prince’s tomb is on the ground floor. The cathedral’s wedding-cake bell tower – a later baroque addition – is one of the capital’s most famous sights, now dusted with snow.
Nice shot here of Russian and Ukrainian ice skaters training in Beijing.
Caption contest?
Source: Guardian
