UK pledges millions more to Ukraine as Boris Johnson warns of 'darker days ahead'

Mr Johnson will host the Canadian and Dutch leaders in Downing Street today, following his appeals over the weekend for allied leaders to mobilise an “international humanitarian coalition”.

Russia has “overwhelming force” and “no regard for the laws of war”, he wrote in The New York Times yesterday, as the offensive continued across Ukraine.

Mr Johnson said that he had never seen “an international crisis where the dividing line between right and wrong has been so stark”, but on whether the West had done enough for Ukraine, he believes “the honest answer is no”.

“In January, the United Kingdom was among a handful of European countries sending defensive aid to Ukraine,” Mr Johnson wrote.

“Now more than 20 countries are part of that effort.

“Defence spending is going up, though it will take time for that to translate into capability.

“That’s a welcome development, but it is not going to be enough on its own to save Ukraine or keep the flame of freedom alive.

“Russia has overwhelming force and apparently no regard for the laws of war.

“We need to prepare now for even darker days ahead.”

Yesterday, the Prime Minister was facing questions over his role in Russian-born media mogul Lord Evgeny Lebedev being awarded his peerages, amid reports in The Sunday Times that he had intervened after the security services raised concerns about granting the appointment of Lord Lebedev, the son of a former KGB agent.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) to look into the decision to grant the peerage, describing it as a “matter of national security”.

He told the BBC Sunday Morning show yesterday: “I think the right thing to do is to refer it to the committee, that can look at the confidential material and come to a view on what actually happened and the risks that the Government may or may not have taken.”

Lord Lebedev told The Sunday Times that all of its allegations were incorrect and the questions did not “merit an answer”.

Meanwhile, more than £100m has been raised by the British public in an “amazing show of support” for Ukraine. That is the equivalent of more than £1m an hour since the appeal was launched, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said.

It said the funds are already being used by DEC charities inside the invaded nation and at its borders to provide people fleeing the war with food, water, and medical assistance.