Davos day 3: Johnson, Starmer, Reeves, Shapps, Badenoch, Thunberg in town – live

Key events

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy Prime Minister and finance minister, is also here at the Ukraine breakfast.

She says we should imagine how the world would look if the Ukranians weren’t so terrific, and if there was a Putin puppet goverment in Kiev right now. How would Poland, or the Baltic states, be feeling in that scenario, she asks.

Freeland says she’s in awe of president Zelenskiy, adding that every single person in Ukraine is standing up, and being a leader themselves.

Ukrainian soldiers are volunteering, choosing their own path. They know why they are there, Freeland explains, and that’s why Ukraine is going to win.

That’s why we should help them as much as we can. Let’s help end this quickly.

Freeland goes for an ice hockey metaphor, quoting Wayne Gretzky’s line about skating to where the puck is going to be, not where it is.

“This puck is going to Ukrainian victory,” Freeland declares.

“So let’s skate there. Let’s make it happen as quickly as possible.”

Boris Johnson chips in, with a pun about how Putin must “get the puck out of Ukraine”, provoking some mirth in the audience.

On the reconstruction of Ukraine, BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink predicts that those who believe in a capitalist system will be “flooding Ukraine with capital” .

He suggests the reconstruction bill could be $750bn.

Fink says he believes it is possible to make a “fair and just return” on behalf of pension funds and retirees, through funding the reconstruction.

He explains that he told president Zelenskiy that Ukraine can be a beacon to the world for the power of capitalism, showing that oligarchs are not part of the future, and that capitalism is the most powerful economic engine in the world.

Zelenskiy apparently told him to go further; that Ukraine must become a leader in new technologies and a leader in decarbonisation.

Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, speaks next.

He says we have to stay united behind Ukraine, who he says will win… because it is crucial that they do so, and also because they are not alone.

Boris Johnson wraps up by telling the audience that we continually underestimated the willingness and ability of Ukrainians to fight and defend their homeland.

They’ve proved the world completely wrong, Johnson says.

Ukraine are “going to win”, and its supporters need to help them win “as fast as possible”.

Johnson concludes:

So I would say to everyone, focus on Ukraine, don’t focus on Putin.

Boris Johnson add that it’s not worth engaging in Kreminology.

It’s hard enough to tell what’s going on in UK politics, the former PM says wryly.

It’s not our job to worry about Putin’s career or what comes next, Johnson says.

Instead…

“We need to focus on supporting Ukraine and giving Volodymyr Zelenskiy the tools he needs to finish the job”.

This wins warm applause from the audience.

Johnson: Putin will not use nuclear weapons

Boris Johnson is speaking at this morning’s Ukraine breakfast now, introduced as a “legendary figure” in Ukraine.

The former UK prime minister is asked what he thinks is going through Putin’s mind – is there an opportunity to negotiate?

Johnson says he is lost in admiration for president Zelenskiy, and the heroism of the Ukrainian people.

But, he warns, we can spend too much time obsessing about Putin, and worrying about escalating the conflict.

Johnson says he heard these concerns before he approved supply of shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons.

But, he says:

How can you escalate against a guy who is doing all out war against a civilian population?

Putin is not going to use nuclear weapons, Johnson insists, comparing Russia’s president to “the fat boy in Dickens who wants to make our flesh creep”.

Using nuclear weapons would create economic paralysis, Johnson points out. Plus, states who are giving him the benefit of the doubt woud turn massively against him – he cites India and China.

He’s not going to do it.

Zelenskiy on tanks: vaccine against Russian tyranny is available

This morning’s Ukraine breakfast is packed. President Zelenskiy is addressing the event first, by videolink.

He’s reiterating his call for Ukraine’s allies to move faster (yesterday he told Davos delegates that the world must speed up its response).

Putting more pressure on Berlin over its Leopard tanks, Zelenskiy says:

“The vaccine against Russian tyranny is available”

There’s a list of countries who have it, he points out.

“If you want to help us just do it.”

Boris Johnson receives "Citizen of Kyiv" medal in Davos.

Boris Johnson received an honorary “Citizen of Kyiv” medal from Mayor Vitali Klitschko last night, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting here in Davos.

Associated Press’s Jamey Keaten has the details:

Johnson has been hailed as a hero by many Ukrainians for his and Britain’s support for their country after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered forces to invade Ukraine nearly a year ago.

At the Ukraine House on Wednesday, Klitschko said Johnson is “one of us” before draping the medal around the former British leader’s neck.

Johnson said he’d received an invitation to visit Kyiv — a “beautiful, beautiful city” — from Klitschko and traveled there while Britain’s foreign minister.

“I realized then that if Putin was ever so mad as to invade Ukraine, that Ukrainians would fight and that they would win. And that is what is going to happen,” Johnson said to a cheering crowd.

Here’s a video clip of the ceremony:

Introduction: Johnson, Starmer, Reeves, Shapps, Badenoch and Thunberg in Davos

Good morning from Davos, where the third day of the World Economic Forum is underway.

The Brits are in town today, and so are the climate activists.

Boris Johnson is appearing at a breakfast briefing on Ukraine shortly, to discuss the most urgent issues facing Ukraine. He’s expected to be joined by (among others) Yulia Svyrydenko, 1st Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group, and David Solomon, Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs.

UK PM Rishi Sunak is steering clear of Davod, though – business secretary Grant Shapps and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch are here instead.

Labour are also in attendance, with leader Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves both appearing on panels today.

Starmer will tell global financial leaders that Britain “will be open for business” under a future Labour government.

They plan to promote Labour’s green prosperity plan to decarbonise the economy, boost energy security and ensure Britain leads in future green industries.

Ahead of the visit, Reeves said:

“With Labour in government, Britain will be open for business. We have the ambition and the practical ideas to have our country lead on the global stage again, especially in those green industries of the future that are so vital for our energy security.

“We will restore economic growth to the UK, improving living standards and creating jobs, and bring global investors back to drive our economy forwards – all built on the rock of economic stability and certainty.

“Labour will work in partnership with business to boost investment in the UK economy, to make sure the jobs of the future are in the UK, and to ensure the UK is a world leader in the climate transition.”

Shapps, who will speak at the traditional UK business leaders lunch today, is expected to outline a new plan to ‘scale up’ British businesses.

In a video clip released yesterday, the business secretary says:

“When I pack my luggage, I won’t just be taking a warm jacket. I’m going to be taking a vision for how we take this country and we scale up Britain.”

It’s minus 8 celsius this morning here, so Shapps will need that cosy jacket too.

Greta Thunberg is also here today, appearing at a meeting of activists from the Fridays For Future movement.

They’ve invited the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, for a dialogue at the World Economic Forum.

Thunberg, Helena Gualinga from Ecuador, Vanessa Nakate from Uganda, Luisa Neubauer from Germany and Birol will discuss whether governments and businesses are responding adequately to the climate crisis.

• 7.30am Davos / 6.30am GMT: Breakfast briefing on Ukraine

• 9am Davos / 8am GMT: A panel on The Future of Industrial Policy, with Grant Shapps

• 9.30am Davos / 8.30am GMT A panel on Ransomware: To Pay or Not to Pay, including Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol & Christopher Wray, FBI director

• 10.30am Davos / 9.30am GMT: A Conversation with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

• 11:30am Davos / 10.30am GMT: a Special Address by Yoon Suk-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea

• 2pm Davos / 1pm GMT: A panel sesssion on Repowering the World, including Keir Starmer

• 3pm Davos / 2pm GMT: Is the World in a Debt Spiral? With José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia; Rachel Reeves, and Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director, Operations, World Bank

• 5.15pm Davos / 4.15pm GMT: A press conference on the launch of the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, with trade ministers from Ecuador, the European Union, Kenya, and New Zealand