Boris Johnson has accused Ed Miliband of bearing responsibility for Vladimir Putin's 2014 invasion of Ukraine, following Andy Burnham's decision to appoint him foreign secretary. Johnson argued that Miliband's role in blocking UK military intervention in Syria in 2013 emboldened Putin, framing the appointment as a poor choice that would please the Kremlin. The row highlights wider tensions over the reshuffle, with reports that the White House has voiced concern about Miliband taking on Britain's top diplomatic role.

Sharing a Telegraph article on X, Johnson claimed Miliband's "failure to stand up to Bashar al-Assad" after the 2013 chemical weapons attack "led directly" to Putin's first invasion of Ukraine the following year. Miliband took up the foreign secretary post on Monday, reportedly chosen for his international negotiating experience, but Donald Trump's administration is said to have warned against the move, partly over his support for green energy policies unpopular with Trump and past comments calling the US president a "racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper". Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds insisted the appointment would not harm US-UK relations, saying the government could work with "robust" American allies despite differences.