Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK will ‘make 2026 the year war ends’ says defence secretary after vow to deploy troops

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has said the UK should send non-combat troops to Ukraine now in a bid to “flip a switch” in Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s head.

Mr Johnson said the country should put boots on the ground in non-fighting zones, adding Ukraine’s allies have been “too slow” to send support to Kyiv.

Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg alongside the former head of the military, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the former PM said: “We’ve always delayed needlessly,.

“We’ve then ended up giving the Ukrainians what they have been asking for, and actually it’s always served to their advantage and to the disadvantage of Putin.

“I mean, the one person who suffers from escalation is Putin.”

Ukrainian officials are poised to boycott the upcoming Milano Cortina Paralympics next month, protesting the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their national flags.

Ukraine‘s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi confirmed on Wednesday that while Ukrainian athletes will still take part in the 6-15 March games, no official representatives from Ukraine will attend the opening ceremony or any other event.

It comes after the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision on Tuesday, which cleared a combined total of 10 para-athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete. Six slots have been handed to Russia and four to Belarus.

Ukrainian drones struck an industrial site deep inside Russia on Saturday, and a Russian news channel reported the target was a key state-owned missile factory.

The attack took place in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, leaving 11 injured, three of whom were hospitalized, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Bagin, the local health minister.

“One of the republic’s facilities was attacked by drones” launched by Ukraine, regional head Alexander Brechalov said in another Telegram post. He added that the strike caused injuries and damage but did not name the site or give further details.

The International Monetary Fund said its board will consider a new $8.1bn programme for Ukraine in the coming days after staff reached a preliminary agreement with Kyiv.

IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said Ukrainian authorities had completed the required prior actions, including submitting a draft labour code law to parliament and adopting the 2026 state budget.

She added that Ukraine’s economy is likely to grow below 2 per cent in 2025 and that Russia’s invasion “continues to take a heavy toll on Ukraine’s people and its economy”.

The proposed arrangement would form part of longer-term financial support as Ukraine continues to fund its wartime budget and stabilise its economy amid the ongoing war.

If approved, the board decision would allow further disbursements under the programme.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are directly undermining women’s safety, according to the United Nations.

“Those energy blackouts, they are not just technical disruptions,” chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia Calltorp told reporters in Geneva.

“They directly undermine women’s safety, protection and economic security.”

Families have been left without heating, electricity and reliable shelter amid brutal winter conditions, with 65 per cent of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity according to the UN.

Ms Calltorp explained that extended darkness, lack of street lighting and disrupted transport “severely restrict women’s mobility and increase exposure to harassment and accidents.”

UN Women reported that 2025 had been the deadliest year for women in Ukraine, with more than 5,000 killed and 14,000 since the start of the conflict in 2022.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry has issued a statement hitting out against “blackmail” by Hungary and Slovakia over oil passing through a Russian pipeline.

Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since 27 January after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.

Hungary threatened to block a €90bn loan until the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline resumed, Hungary’s foreign minister said.

It was followed by threats by Slovakia to cut electricity to Ukraine unless oil continued to flow through the passage.

Ukraine condemned the “ultimatums” and “blackmail” over the comments in a response on Saturday.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and awarded her with the Order of Princess Olga, III class, for her support for Ukraine on Saturday.

“We discussed diplomatic efforts to achieve a dignified peace, energy support, and the importance of Ukraine’s recovery,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“I awarded Anne Hidalgo the Order of Princess Olga, III class, and I am grateful to Madam Mayor for her comprehensive support of Ukrainians – including our athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games – as well as for advancing projects for Ukraine’s recovery on the global stage.”

Hidalgo has visited Ukraine during wartime and hosted Zelensky during talks in France.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference last week where the pair discussed the nature of Ukraine’s military strategy against Russia, according to an article Mr Sunak wrote in the Times.

Mr Sunak said he was left with the conviction that the UK and Europe must catch up to Ukraine in modernising its military weaponry.

“Drones have changed the nature of war,” he wrote.

“At the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky told me that 80 per cent of the casualties Ukraine is inflicting on the Russians are from unmanned vehicles.”

He added: “A recent Nato exercise, Hedgehog 2025, where Nato forces faced off against Ukrainian drone operators, revealed just how ill-prepared western forces are for this new way of war.”

Mr Sunak concluded: “The world has changed. Defence has changed. Warfare has changed. We must adapt, and fast.”