Boris Johnson’s unannounced visit to Kyiv came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the world to take tough action against Russia following the bombing of a train station used to evacuate refugees, according to correspondent Peter Smith of Kyiv. Boris Johnson said the West would supply Ukraine with the equipment it needed to ensure it could never be invaded again by Russia after holding unannounced talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Following the Prime Minister’s visit to the Ukrainian capital, Downing Street said Britain would send 120 armored vehicles as well as new anti-ship missile systems. Appearing on Zelensky’s side in a video clip, Johnson said the West would continue to “strengthen” sanctions in Moscow as it praised the courage of the Ukrainian resistance. “I think the Ukrainians showed the courage of a lion and you Volodymyr gave the roar of this lion,” he said. “The United Kingdom and others will (will) supply equipment, technology, know-how, intelligence, so that Ukraine will never be invaded again. “Thus Ukraine is so fortified and protected – that Ukraine can never be intimidated again. Never be blackmailed again. “Never threaten again in the same way.” Boris Johnson and President Zelensky discussed the reconstruction of devastated areas of Ukraine as they walked through the capital. Credit: Telegram / Volodymyr Zelenskyy The latest support package represents a significant increase in UK military assistance to Ukraine. Mr Johnson’s visit comes a day after he announced additional 100 100m worth of British military aid to Ukrainian forces, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and so-called “suicide drones”, which have been wandering the battlefield before. target. As more atrocities committed by Russia become apparent as troops withdraw from northern Ukraine, it is clear why the country will benefit from the weapons and support pledged by the UK and other countries, reports Peter Smith. from Kyiv The anti-ship missile systems came as British military intelligence said Russian naval forces continued to launch cruise missile attacks in support of ground operations in the area. Following an urgent call by Ukrainians for more weapons – including armored vehicles – in anticipation of an impending Russian attack in the eastern Donbass region, which is already controlled by separatists in favor of Moscow. Johnson said that while Russian forces attacking Kyiv had been defeated, their withdrawal was “regular” as they prepared to refocus their military efforts on the east. He strongly condemned the “war crimes” revealed in the aftermath of their departure, with dozens of civilian bodies shot and killed reported by Ukrainian authorities. “I think what Putin has done in places like Butcha and Irpin, his war crimes have permanently tarnished his reputation and the reputation of his government,” he said. The British Ministry of Defense said that the retreating Russian troops had left behind evidence of “disproportionate targeting of non-combatants”. In her latest intelligence assessment, she said this included “the presence of mass graves, the deadly use of hostages as human shields and the extraction of political infrastructure”. Mr Zelensky welcomed the UK’s “resolute and significant support” for his country, urging other Western allies to step up pressure on Moscow. “We have to put pressure in the form of sanctions. It is time to impose a full embargo on Russian energy resources. “They should increase the amount of weapons provided,” he said. Zelensky praised Mr Johnson during the couple’s speech and called on “other Western nations to follow the example of the United Kingdom”. Addressing the Prime Minister, he continued: “I want to express words of gratitude and support for your leadership, for your help and weapons, your immediate and very clear position for your wonderful and strong country, and thank you for your visit to this difficult time for our country. “ Mr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainians were “grateful” for the UK’s support, adding that “we will always remember that”. There were no immediate details on the armored vehicles, although Defense Minister Ben Wallace said during a visit to Romania on Friday that they would be six-wheeled Mastiff patrol vehicles. According to the latest assessment of information by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, Russian forces continue to hit civilian targets such as the railway station in Kramatorsk. On Friday, a rocket hit a train station in eastern Ukraine, which was full of civilians trying to escape an impending Russian attack, killing at least 52 people, including five children, and injuring dozens. In his speech late Friday, Mr Zelenskyy said the strike at Kramatorsk train station was tantamount to another war crime that needed to be tried by an international tribunal and called for a tough global response. “Like the Bucha massacre, like many other Russian war crimes, the Kramatorsk rocket attack should be one of the charges in court,” he said. “All the efforts of the people will be directed to find out every minute who did what, who gave what orders, where the rocket came from, who carried it, who gave the order and how this strike was agreed.” At least 52 people have been killed in an attack on a railway station in Kramatorsk. Credit: AP Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia’s nuclear program have been made more than once. Photographs taken after Friday’s rocket hit showed corpses covered in tarpaulins and the remains of a rocket painted with the words “for children” in Russian. The phrase seemed to indicate that the rocket was sent to avenge the loss or submission of the children, although its exact meaning remained unclear. Ukrainian soldiers stand next to a fragment of a Tochka-U missile with an inscription in Russian “for children”. Credit: AP About 4,000 civilians were in and around the station, listening to calls to leave before fighting intensified in the Donbass region, the ombudsman’s office said. “There are a lot of people in serious condition, without arms or legs,” said Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko, adding that the local hospital was struggling to treat everyone. The Ukrainians are crowded at the train station to avoid further rocket attacks. Credit: CNN Following the attack, Ukrainian authorities continued to urge civilians in the east to flee as Russian forces regrouped after withdrawing from areas around Kyiv in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 10 evacuation corridors were planned for Saturday in hopes of allowing residents to leave war zones in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which include Donbass as well as neighboring Zaporizhia. Ukrainian soldiers carry a corpse after a Russian bombing at a train station in Kramatorsk. Credit: AP The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the attack, but Western officials believe it may have been a Russian Tochka-U missile, referred to by NATO as the SS-21, which was fired indiscriminately at the city center. The attack came as workers in other parts of the country discovered at least 67 bodies from a mass grave near a church in Bucha, a city near Kyiv, where graphic evidence emerged of dozens of killings following the withdrawal of Russian forces. Russia falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged. Mr Johnson’s visit to Ukraine coincided with the arrival of Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer, who also held talks with Mr Zelensky. Last month, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia visited Kyiv in support of the Ukrainians. For great storytelling analysis, listen to the ITV news podcast What You Need To Know
