The Prime Minister made the remarks at the G7 summit, which will be held this year in Schloss Elmau, a refuge in the Bavarian Alps, Germany. Mr Johnson said: “To the Russian scientists and researchers who are looking with dismay at Putin’s violence, and who no longer feel safe in Russia … You should feel free to apply to come to the UK and enter a country work that values openness, freedom and the pursuit of knowledge. ”
The offer, Mr Johnson explained, is an extension of the “researchers at risk” scheme.
It is a twin program with Ukrainian universities that allows their academics to continue their research at UK institutions.
The scheme – which now has an extensive budget of around £ 10 million – will bring and support around 130 Ukrainian researchers to the UK.
It will be seen how many Russian academics also choose to take advantage of the offer.
Mr Johnson put considerable focus on the Ukraine crisis during this year’s G7 meeting, with British officials saying the summit had seen unprecedented unity among the attending leaders over long-term support for Ukraine.
Little in the way of concrete action has been taken, however, with Downing Street expressing hope that it will be reached at the forthcoming NATO summit in Madrid, after which the Prime Minister will travel on Tuesday.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman told the Guardian that although it remains to be seen what came out of the end of the G7 summit, the prime minister’s main goal for the occasion was to ensure “complete unity”.
He added: “Of course, this G7 should not be seen in isolation, because then we are moving straight into NATO, where I think you can see more of the detailed elements of how that support and commitment can play out.”
READ MORE: Russian city declares state of emergency as WW2 mine found near oil pipeline
During the summit, Mr. Johnson took the opportunity to argue that while Ukraine’s support against Russia would bring more economic pain and price increases, the consequences of a Russia victory would be much worse.
Mr Johnson told the BBC there was a need for world leaders to stick to a course of “strategic endurance”.
He said: “Just in terms of staying the course, imagine if we did not do it.
“Imagine if we allowed Putin to get away with the violent acquisition of large tracts of land from another country, a sovereign independent territory – the lessons for that would be absolutely cool in all the countries of the former Soviet Union.”
The consequences of a Russian victory, the prime minister noted, would be “felt in East Asia as well” – a statement seen as a reference to China’s ambitions in Taiwan.
Mr Johnson added: “In terms of economic consequences, it would mean long-term instability and anxiety around the world.”
DON’T MISS:
Putin humiliates while Russian ammunition train derails [REPORT]
This 10-second test can measure whether you have a ‘high risk’ of dying [ANALYSIS]
Octopus Energy CEO lays out road map for £ 1,000 heat pumps [INSIGHT]
Mr Johnson concluded by saying that “the price of freedom is worth paying.
“Just remember, it took the democracies in the middle of the last century to realize that they had to resist tyranny and aggression. It was very expensive.
“But what it bought in the end, with the defeat of the dictators, especially of Nazi Germany, [was] decades and decades of stability, a world order that relied on a rules-based international system.
“And it’s worth protecting, what’s worth defending, and it’s delivering long-term prosperity.”