UK's Johnson: What Putin has done in Ukraine is 'evil'

LONDON (Reuters) - What Russian President Vladimir Putin has done in Ukraine is "evil", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

Asked during an interview with GB News at the NATO summit in Madrid whether Putin was evil, Johnson said: "I think that what he has done is evil. And I think it probably follows that if you are what you do, then certainly."

"It's been an appalling act of unwarranted aggression against an innocent population," he added.

As the 30 national NATO leaders were meeting in Madrid, Russian forces intensified attacks in Ukraine, including missile strikes and shelling on the southern Mykolaiv region close to front lines and the Black Sea.

Johnson has been outspoken in his support for Ukraine, holding regular phone calls with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and visiting Kyiv twice since the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24.

Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" designed to rid the country of ultra-nationalists it says pose a threat to Russia's own security.

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of waging an unprovoked war of aggression.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Gareth Jones)