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Boris Johnson has said that "allowances should be made" for Ukraine to progress in this year's World Cup tournament following the country's invasion by Russia.

Holding a press conference in Brussels following meetings with the G7 and NATO leaders, the prime minister was asked whether he would support the idea of Ukraine being given a bye into the football tournament, due to be held in November and December.

Mr Johnson said the proposal "sounds like a good idea", but admitted that football is not his "strongest subject".

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"Sounds like a good idea to me but I'm out of area here, I've got to admit that's not my strong subject," the prime minister told reporters.

"I don't see why not, is my view."

Probed further on the matter, he continued: "Let me put it this way, given what Ukraine has been going through, given the privations that Ukrainian footballers have had to endure, I'm sure that every possible sympathy and allowances should be made for them."

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The prime minister seemed unaware that Ukraine are, at present, due to play Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers.

When journalists later mentioned this to Mr Johnson, he laughed and said: "I'm not going to comment on that."

The prime minister then quickly moved on to other questions.

Scotland, Wales and Austria are in the same World Cup play-off path as Ukraine, with the winners filling one of the final three European qualification places for Qatar 2022 later this year.

Ukraine had been due to play Scotland at Hampden Park on 24 March, but until June following the Russian invasion, with the Wales-Austria semi-final going ahead as originally planned in Cardiff.

Earlier this month, the Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said the matter of Ukraine potentially being handed a bye to the 2022 World Cup was discussed by FIFA following the country's invasion of Russia.

Mr Mooney said FIFA held talks with the four national associations in the World Cup qualifying group to discuss play-off rescheduling - and that the option of giving Ukraine a bye further into the competition was considered.

The prime minister was in Brussels to meet other world leaders as the war in Ukraine continues to escalate.

Earlier today the Kremlin said Mr Johnson was the "most anti-Russian" leader in the West.

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However, the prime minister denied this accusation, telling broadcasters he is "not remotely anti-Russian".

"What we all agree is that what Vladimir Putin is doing, the way he's leading Russia at the moment, is utterly catastrophic, that his invasion of Ukraine is inhuman and barbaric, and the conduct of that invasion is now moving into the type of behaviour that, as I've said before, we haven't seen in the continent of Europe for 80 years," he said.

"You can be sympathetic towards ordinary Russians, who have been so badly let down, but you can be deeply hostile to the decisions of Vladimir Putin, where he's leading his country."

Mr Johnson also vowed to continue to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y and provide additional weapons.