LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has slammed Russia's "cultural vandalism" in Ukraine, saying invading forces are attempting to erase Ukrainian culture in areas they have taken over.

The UK will continue to provide civil and military help to Ukraine, the prime minister said, in addition to funding "cultural preservation measures." In a video address to the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, which is being held in the Scottish Parliament or Holyrood,  Johnson made the remarks on Friday.

"We've seen what happens when oppressors try to wipe out culture throughout history. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Nazis during the Second World War are just a few examples, he said.

"Unforgivable acts of cultural vandalism are being committed in Ukraine today, once again in front of the eyes of the entire world. Much of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's perverse justification for his invasion is based on the despicable claim that Ukraine isn't really a country.

He said, "This is a fiction that he tries to make true by deliberately eradicating any signs of the centuries-old Ukrainian culture from the land his troops control. In addition to providing military and humanitarian relief, the UK will fund "steps to protect cultural assets," he said.

At the summit, a number of Ukrainian cultural icons also made an appearance, including the writer Oksana Zabuzhko and the musician Maryna Krut.  A ceramic cockerel-shaped jug that Johnson received in Kiev is going on display at Holyrood to signify the start of the summit.

A woman from Kharkiv gave the Prime Minister and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky matching jugs when they were strolling through the streets of the Ukrainian capital in April.

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