Stanley Johnson – a Europhile who voted for Remain in the referendum – criticized EU leaders for failing to act quickly enough to curb oil imports or arms supplies to Ukraine. “Right now you have to say that Europe needs to pull on its socks,” he told LBC. “I mean, Germany says it can not reduce its oil imports. “So why is the rest of Europe not coming to help Germany?” Johnson Snr added: “I tell myself, in this case, Brexit was probably a good idea, because Boris was able to lead from the front here.” The prime minister’s father also said the EU was backed by Hungary’s member and authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “You have Victor Orban up there, who is preventing the European framework from making the right decisions,” he said. Asked about Britain’s decision to send 120 armored vehicles as well as new anti-ship missile systems, Johnson Snr said: “I think [UK leadership] it was incredibly important. I think the missiles against the ships that come out with [armoured vehicles] “This is vital.” He added: “Europe must come after us to a great extent. “And I’m still not convinced they got the message.” Despite the EU ban on coal from Russia and moves to ban oil, the consensus among the 27 EU member states on the cessation of Russian gas supplies has proved more difficult to secure. Although Berlin has agreed to wean itself from Russian fossil fuels by mid-2024, German Chancellor Olaf Solz said last week that gas supplies could not be cut off quickly. Johnson Snr also praised his son’s trip to the Ukrainian capital on Saturday, where he had surprise talks and walked the streets of Kiev with President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I had absolutely no prior knowledge – I would say, I thought it was a great, wonderful example of leadership from the front,” he said. EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen also met with Zelensky in Kyiv, and more Western leaders are expected to visit the Ukrainian capital this week. It comes as Foreign Minister Liz Troy has vowed to ask Vladimir Putin “and his regime accountable” if it turns out that Russian forces used chemical agents in an attack in Mariupol. The city’s Azov regiment said the soldiers were stunned and could not breathe after a substance was dropped on them by a Russian drone, according to reports. Ms Truss wrote on Twitter: “We are working urgently with partners to verify details. “Any use of such weapons would be a harsh escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime accountable.” Armed Forces Secretary James Hippie said Tuesday morning that the United Kingdom was unable to verify the allegations. “The Ukrainian system… have not yet been able to confirm that they have been used.” However, he said that if “chemical weapons are not used at all, then President Putin should be aware that all possible options are on the table as to how the West could respond.”