LIVE: Boris Johnson holds press conference on Ukraine crisis amid talks to wean Europe off Russian gas

Boris Johnson is holding a press conference alongside the German chancellor following talks over how Europe can wean itself off Russian gas. The prime minister hosted Olaf Scholz at Downing Street today and the pair are appearing at a joint press briefing this afternoon.

Amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Mr Johnson is expected to offer assistance to Berlin, which is still heavily reliant on Russian gas, to reduce its dependence on Moscow’s energy exports in a bid to starve Vladimir Putin’s war machine of funds. It comes as the Foreign Office targeted the Russian president's daughters with sanctions, saying it was aiming to hit the “lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin’s inner circle” in a statement earlier today.

The foreign secretary Liz Truss attended a meeting of Nato counterparts in Brussels on Thursday. She said she hoped to see “more countries” commit to banning Russian energy imports after the UK has pledged to end all imports of Russian coal and oil by the end of 2022, with gas to follow as soon as possible.

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Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has pushed for foreign leaders to go further on cutting ties with the Kremlin. Speaking in Brussels, he said: “As long as the West continues buying Russian gas and oil it is supporting Ukraine with one hand while supporting the Russian war machine with another hand."

He took particular umbrage with Germany, urging it to cut red tape and speed up support to Ukraine and saying "while Berlin has time, Kyiv doesn’t". Germany has faced criticism from Ukraine and other European nations, including Poland, with claims it has been too slow to phase out Russian energy.