Johnson mentions Putin and the war in Ukraine in his farewell speech

Johnson gave a speech outside the Prime Minister's residence in London's Downing Street. Нe listed his achievements as head of government, thanked the ministers for their work on Brexit, prompt deployment of the COVID pandemic vaccination campaign, and the effective opposition to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who unleashed a brutal war against Ukraine.

"If Putin thinks he can succeed by blackmailing and bullying the British people, he is utterly deluded" he said.

He added that Britain's new government will lead the country out of this crisis, and said that they will have the economic strength to give people the tools they need to overcome this energy crisis. He expressed his confidence that Liz Truss and the Conservative government will do everything possible to help people.

He compared his time as prime minister to a launch vehicle that has fulfilled its function.

"I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function, and now I will be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific," Johnson said.

Boris Johnson and new Conservative Party leader Liz Truss travelled on separate planes in the Scottish city of Aberdeen to meet Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle.

Johnson will arrive at the royal residence at 1:20 p.m. Kyiv time and announce his resignation to the monarch. His successor is then invited to the castle for her first private audience with the Queen. Truss is expected to arrive at Balmoral at 2:10 p.m., where Elizabeth II will appoint her as the next prime minister of Great Britain and ask her to form a government.