Boris Johnson 'dismayed' at Russian veto of UN resolution on Syria

Boris Johnson has said he is "dismayed" at Russia's veto of a UN resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

His comments come as the UK Government confirmed sarin or a "sarin-like substance" was used in a suspected chemical attack which killed more than 80 people on April 4.

The Foreign Secretary said it is "highly likely" the Assad regime was responsible for the deaths, which included at least 30 children.

And he condemned Russia, who he said wanted to join the war on terror, but was "collaborating with Assad who is biggest terrorist of all".

Mr Johnson said: "It was once again only the Russians that were the significant country to veto this. Even the Chinese, who are normally their ally, abstained.

"The question for the Russians is, how can they continue to support a regime that is willing to gas it's own people with weapons that should have been banned 100 years ago."

He added the veto had put Russia "on the wrong side of the argument" but he added "it doesn’t have to be this way".

It comes after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow to discuss the escalating tensions in Syria, where he admitted there were "low levels of trust" between the two nations.

Mr Johnson backed US calls to find a political solution and said the G7 leaders were ready to work with Russia to end the violence in Syria.

He said: "So Russia faces a choice: it can continue acting as a lifeline for Assad's murderous regime, or it could live up to its responsibilities as a global power, and use its influence over the regime to bring six long years of failed ceasefires and false dawns to an end.

"We stand ready to work together and I will be talking to my G7 partners in the coming days about how we can continue to strive for a political solution that brings an end to the suffering of the Syrian people."