Boris Johnson has apologised to a Ukrainian journalist after she urged him to go further in his support for her country.

Daria Kaleniuk confronted the Prime Minister as he held a press conference in Warsaw, Poland this morning.

The woman urged Mr Johnson to do more to protect her country, asking why he and Nato would not enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Ms Kaleniuk, who works for the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Centre, told the Prime Minister that women and children are struggling to flee the country due to air strikes from Putin.

She said: " Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children are in deep fear because of bombs and missiles which are going from the sky. Ukrainian people are desperately asking for the rights to protect our sky, we are asking for a no-fly zone.

“What’s the alternative for the no-fly zone?

“Nato is not willing to defend because Nato is afraid of World War Three but it’s already started and it’s Ukrainian children who are there taking the hit."

She also pulled up Mr Johnson on sanctions, specifically asking why the Chelsea FC owner and Putin ally had not been penalised yet. 

She said: "You are talking about more sanctions, Prime Minister, but Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned, he’s in London, his children are not in the bombardments, his children are there in London.”

She said Mr Putin’s children are safe in mansions that have not been seized and, breaking into tears, added: “I don’t see that, see that my family members, that my team members are saying we are dying, we don’t have anywhere to run.”

Mr Johnson appeared concerned as he listened to the lengthy statement and questions from Ms Kaleniuk, and said he was "sorry" that he was not able to respond to the war in the way she would like.

He said he was pleased she had managed to escape to Poland, but said he was "acutely conscious” that the UK Government could not respond militarily.

Mr Johnson said: "I’ve got to be honest about that. When you talk about the no-fly zone, as I’ve said to (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Zelensky, I think a couple of times, unfortunately the implication of that is the UK would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes, would be engaged in direct combat with Russia – that’s not something we can do.

“I think the consequences of that would be truly very, very difficult to control.”

He added: "I think that Vladimir Putin's venture is doomed to fail. I think that it will be extremely difficult to continue on the path that he is on.

"But in the meantime, as you as you rightly say, there is going to be a period of, of suffering for the people of Ukraine, for which Putin and Putin alone is responsible."

Mr Johnson said that the UK would be trying to "help people like your crew, and your family to get out, to get to safety, help them with all the humanitarian support that we can provide, help them to come to the UK, and we certainly will."

"But I can't pretend to you that this is going to be something that the UK can fix by military means, and I think it would be wrong of me to do so.

"I think the whole international community will work together to ensure that you and your family are able to live in a sovereign and independent Ukraine.

"I'm sorry, it's going to take time. I'm sorry. It's going to be difficult. I'm sorry for all the tragedy and suffering that you've experienced."