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Ukraine war: The price of freedom is worth paying, says Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson argues letting Russia "get away with" invading Ukraine would have "chilling" consequences.
International
"The price of freedom is worth paying," Boris Johnson has said when asked about the cost of helping defend Ukraine.
Speaking from a G7 summit, he argued that letting Russia "get away with" invading Ukraine would have "chilling" consequences and lead to instability.
Likening the conflict to defeating Nazi Germany in World War Two, the PM said that war had been "very expensive" but delivered "long term stability".
It comes as the Ukrainian president calls for more military support.
Over a video link, Volodymyr Zelensky told the leaders of the world's advanced democracies at the summit that his country needed more anti-aircraft defence systems to help repel Russia's invasion.
He also said they needed to impose more sanctions to keep the pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
G7 leaders, meeting in Germany, are expected to offer more military support as well as further sanctions against Russia, with some planning to ban Russian gold imports.
Speaking to the BBC's political editor Chris Mason from the summit, Mr Johnson said there was "no alternative" to supporting Ukraine regain its sovereignty.
He argued that the consequences of letting Mr Putin "get away with the violent acquisition of huge chunks of another country" would be "absolutely chilling".
"In terms of the economic effects, that would mean long-term instability and anxiety across the world," he said.
Asked if there was any limit on the amount of money or support the UK would offer Ukraine, Mr Johnson replied: "The price of freedom is worth paying."
He said defeating dictators in World War Two "took a long time" and was "very expensive" but brought "decades and decades of stability" and delivered "long-term prosperity".
The UK government has said it is spending £1.3bn ($1.6bn) on military support for Ukraine.