Former British prime minister Boris Johnson made a surprise morale-boosting visit to Odesa on Saturday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Western leaders not to trust President Vladimir Putin’s aims.
Mr. Johnson, joined by former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft and Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko, was seen on Langeron beach watching sunrise over the Black Sea and taking photographs with residents. Mr. Goncharenko thanked Mr. Johnson for his "solidarity," saying the visit "meant a lot to Odesa and Ukrainians." Mr. Johnson has made several trips to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the visit, Mr. Johnson condemned what he described as the "sick making" red-carpet reception recently afforded to Mr. Putin in Alaska by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The appearance came as Ukraine has reported fresh territory losses to Russian forces and Mr. Putin reiterated that he would continue fighting unless Kyiv ceded large swathes of land — a demand Ukraine has rejected.
Speaking publicly as tensions rose on multiple fronts, Mr. Zelensky urged the West not to rely on assurances from Mr. Putin and said the Russian leader’s objective remained the occupation of all Ukrainian territory.
The announcement came amid heightened concern in neighbouring Poland after repeated Russian drone flights near the Ukrainian border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said ground-based air-defence systems were on the highest alert and that operations were under way to shoot down any drones that crossed into Polish airspace. The alert concentrated on Lublin Airport, about 60 miles from the border with Ukraine.
Nato has launched a new defensive operation, dubbed Operation Eastern Sentry, in response to what the alliance described as reckless violations of airspace. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, speaking about the initiative, warned that Russia’s new missiles could travel at speeds up to five times the speed of sound and that the threat extended beyond the Baltic states to all of Western Europe. "We all live on the eastern flank," he said, adding that such weapons would take only minutes longer to reach Madrid or London than they would capitals closer to Russia.
Defence analysts have suggested the Kremlin’s drone launches may have been intended to test Nato’s ability to respond. Denmark has committed two F-16 fighters and an anti-air warfare frigate to the Nato operation and said it would invest the equivalent of about £6.7 billion in surface-to-air missile systems. France and Germany have put aircraft on permanent standby, with three Rafale fighters from France and four Eurofighters from Germany assigned to the operation.
Poland has also massed forces along its eastern border, mobilising roughly 40,000 troops, officials said.
The United Kingdom has indicated it will support Nato’s operation. Defence Secretary John Healey said last week that he had asked military advisers to consider how the UK could bolster Polish air defences. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the United Kingdom was "fully committed to playing our part in Nato's Eastern Sentry following the reckless and dangerous airspace violations by Russia." The MoD added that the precise role of UK forces would be revealed shortly.
The developments underline an escalation in regional tensions as Kyiv fights to repel renewed Russian advances while Nato members reassess air-defence postures near the alliance’s eastern flank. Officials and analysts say the incidents have prompted closer coordination among allies to deter further incursions and to protect member-state airspace without direct engagement that could broaden the conflict.