UK: As a result of the former British prime minister's refusal to appear on his programme to answer questions about his position on the conflict in Ukraine, Tucker Carlson and Boris Johnson are engaged in a verbal battle. The Fox News host has called the former leader of that country a "coward" for his actions.

By accusing Carlson of spreading "bad ideas" to his Republican audience by criticising Washington's involvement in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Johnson struck first in the argument.

Anyone familiar with Tucker Carlson? Why is this guy the way he is? His viewpoint seems to have intimidated all these wonderful Republicans, he said during a panel discussion with the Atlantic Council.

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The former prime minister claimed he hadn't watched any of Carlson's programmes but was "struck" by how frequently the TV personality's name had come up in conversations he had in the US. The former prime minister is currently on an American speaking tour.

Johnson said, "I've been amazed and horrified by how many people are afraid of a guy named Tucker Carlson.

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On his Thursday show, the Fox News host responded to the British politician. Carlson claimed that he was "shocked" by Johnson's remarks because the former prime minister had declined to appear on his programme shortly before Johnson made them to defend his position on Ukraine.

The conservative pundit claimed that Johnson confronted "cowards" in Washington who were afraid of his show, "yet somehow he never mentioned he was one of them."

"We were aware that Johnson was a coward. We observed Covid as he changed into an elderly woman who was terrified, but we were unaware that he was also a liar. We ought to have known," Carlson said.

Johnson, who resigned as prime minister in September following a string of scandals in his cabinet, was one of the Kiev government's most ardent supporters and insisted on a military solution to the conflict. According to some reports, he played a key role in the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in March.

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On the other hand, Carlson has never shied away from criticising the Biden administration's approach to the Ukraine, suggesting that the billions given to Kiev would be better used to address issues here at home and expressing concern that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was attempting to draw the US into a direct military conflict with Russia.