Boris Johnson says the UK is 'indifferent' to fate of Vladimir Putin after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

• Boris Johnson says the UK is "indifferent" to Vladimir Putin's fate amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• The UK is not attempting to "drive some geopolitical change," by reopening its Kyiv embassy, he said.

Boris Johnson has said he is "indifferent" to Vladimir Putin's fate as he insists the UK is not trying to force the Russian president out of office following the invasion of Ukraine.

In his first interview with ITV's Good Morning Britain since he hid in a fridge to avoid speaking to the show in 2019, the prime minister praised the UK ambassador in Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, as she returns to Kyiv to reopen the embassy.

Johnson told the show the UK was not involved in the conflict because it was seeking regime change.

"What the UK is doing, and has done since the crisis began, is lead the world in helping the Ukranians to protect themselves against wanton aggression, barbaric aggression, by Vladimir Putin – that is all we are doing.

"We are not saying we are doing this in order to drive some geopolitical change or have an outcome in Moscow. I think the UK is indifferent to all that.

"What we care about is the Ukrainian people and their suffering," he added, noting the country would have been "overwhelmed and obliterated" without support.

His comments come after the Kremlin accused the West of arming Ukraine so it can fight a "proxy" war — a suggestion that has been roundly rubbished by UK ministers.

Johnson's comment also followed US President Joe Biden's surprise assertion in March that Putin "cannot remain in power" after the conflict.

Biden has since denied that he is seeking "regime change," although he defended his comments amid fierce backlash, saying: "I'm not walking anything back."

Later Tuesday Johnson will address Ukraine's parliament via video link — the first world leader to do so since the conflict began in February.

He will announce a new £300 million ($376 million) package of defensive military aid for Ukraine and send specialized civilian protection vehicles.

The prime minister will say the UK is "proud to be among Ukraine's friends" when he speaks to parliamentarians, and will liken the current conflict to the Second World War.

Johnson is expected to say: "When my country faced the threat of invasion during the Second World War, our parliament — like yours — continued to meet throughout the conflict, and the British people showed such unity and resolve that we remember our time of greatest peril as our finest hour.

"This is Ukraine's finest hour, an epic chapter in your national story that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come.

"Your children and grandchildren will say that Ukrainians taught the world that the brute force of an aggressor counts for nothing against the moral force of a people determined to be free."