The Kremlin in Moscow has taken a swipe at outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has overseen consistent British support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Johnson “really does not like us – and we [do not like] him either”.
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He said he hoped “more professional people” who could “make decisions through dialogue” would take over in London.
Meanwhile, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters Mr Johnson had been “hit by a boomerang launched by himself”, adding that the moral of the story was “do not seek to destroy Russia”.
But Ukraine struck the opposite tone: the presidency thanked the politician for his support in “the most difficult of times”, according to news agency AFP.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the prime minister on Thursday after he announced his resignation, during which Kyiv officials says the Ukrainian leader expressed his “sadness” upon hearing the news.
“Not only me, but also all of Ukrainian society which sympathises with you a lot,” he is reported to have said – thanking him for the “decisive action” he has taken to help Ukraine.
The pair have developed a close relationship since the start of the war. Kyiv’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, also praised the UK’s outgoing prime minister in a statement: “We will always remember his visit to Ukraine in the still dark hour of April. Johnson is a man of no fear, ready to take risks for the cause he believes in.” (BBC)
