Speaking at a Ukrainian art exhibition opening after a rare public appearance in London by General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, former PM Boris Johnson told a crowd of diplomats, media and Ukrainian supporters that the UK and other countries lack “the will and the leadership and the sense of urgency” to do more to support Ukraine. Johnson's comments were made just as President Trump made a surprise U-turn on his diplomatic thinking on Ukraine, saying Ukraine can restore its original borders from before Russia’s 2022 invasion, and that NATO countries should destroy Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace, marking a major shift in his attitude towards the Russian-Ukrainian war. Johnson was speaking at the opening night in London on Tuesday, 23 September, of an art exhibition called Indomitable Ukraine, at the Vinyl Factory in Soho, which was opened by His Excellency General Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, along with strong supporting remarks by the Canadian High Commissioner. “Every artefact in this exhibition carries the spirit of Ukraine’s unbreakable will,” said the Ukrainian ambassador of the exhibition, which is open to the public for another week at the Vinyl Factory on Marshall Street in Soho. “These are not just objects of war – they are symbols of a nation’s fight for freedom, dignity and life itself.” The exhibition is based on artefacts collected during the Russian invasion, and includes Russian armed vehicle number plates, a flag from Azovstal, objects recovered from the destroyed cruiser Moskva, a map of Russian saboteurs in Kyiv, and trophies captured in battle. There are also harrowing images of Ukrainian children killed in the conflict.

The 200 guests included around 30 ambassadors, Conservative MPs Jesse Norman and Mark Harper, Labour peer Lord George Robertson, crossbench peer Lord Moore of Etchingham, former Tory MPs Brooks Newmark (founder of the Angels for Ukraine charity) and Sir Bill Cash, media figures such as Dominic Lawson and Emily Maitlis, artist Adam Dant, Baroness Rosa Monckton and around 20 British family members of soldiers killed in action fighting for Ukraine.

Also speaking was Yuliia Paievska, wearing her combat fatigues as an award-winning Ukrainian civilian paramedic who is the founder of Taira’s Angels, a volunteer medical brigade that helps wounded soldiers. Better known as Taira, she was captured and jailed for three months by Russian forces in March while helping to evacuate civilians from Mariupol. The event was organised by the Bogdan Gubsky Foundation and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, with its director Dr Yurii Savchuk saying that the museum has had over one million visitors since the start of the Ukrainian war in February 2022. Originally established in the 1980s to commemorate the Soviet Union's role in the conflict, it is now focused on documenting Ukraine's experience and its ongoing conflict with Russia. Johnson said the UK is “still apprehensive about the consequences” of increasing support and lacks any sense of urgency to support Ukraine. He called for frozen Russian assets, along with £300 billion of Putin’s assets deposited in a secret Brussels bank account, to be used to fund the war effort. Speaking to a crowd of ambassadors and diplomats, Johnson said: “Why is it that none of the diplomats in the world, none of the foreign ministers in the world, seem able to unlock this, get this done?” In a strongly worded speech, he also asked why the UK was still buying uranium from Russia, called for sanctions on the Russian energy company Rosneft, and demanded to know why the UK government has not imposed more sanctions on those still purchasing Russian hydrocarbons. Boris Johnson was Prime Minister when Russian troops invaded Ukraine and was one of the first European leaders to denounce the Russian invasion. On the Sunday before the invasion on 24 February 2022, Johnson warned that Putin was preparing for the largest international conflict since the Second World War. When Prime Minister, Johnson announced the UK would phase out Russian oil by the end of 2022. In April 2022, he travelled to Kyiv and met the President of Ukraine and made three other trips whilst in office. Whilst in Downing Street, Johnson ensured the UK joined international sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs. He ensured that the UK provided vital military and financial support to Ukraine. In total, since 2022, the UK has committed up to £21.8 billion for Ukraine, including over £13 billion in military support. Back in April of this year, well before Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin – which Johnson described as “sick-making” – Johnson censured the US president, saying that he feared the Ukrainians could expect little or nothing from a US-brokered peace deal: “As for Ukraine – what do they get after three years of heroic resistance against a brutal and unprovoked invasion? What is ...