Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson pulls out of trip to Moscow over Putin's support for Syria as tensions mount over Trump's missile attackDo you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?Do you want to automatically post

Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to Moscow over Putin's support of the Syrian chemical weapons attack. 

The Foreign Secretary, who was due to visit Russia on Monday for talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov, declared: 'We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime'.

Mr Johnson attacked the Kremlin and said he would instead focus on building support with allies to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Syria.

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Boris Johnson has pulled out of a visit to Moscow in the wake of the Syrian chemical weapons attack saying 'we deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime' 

Volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, tried to extract survivors from the rubble following reported air-strikes on the rebel-held town of Saqba

'We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians,' he said. 

'My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April.' 

Mr Johnson then called on Russia to do 'everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated'.

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'I discussed these plans in detail with Secretary Tillerson,' Johnson said, adding that the US foreign minister would still visit Moscow as planned following the G7 meeting to 'deliver that clear and co-ordinated message to the Russians.' 

The visit would have been the first visit by a UK foreign secretary in more than five years. 

It comes as Britain gave full backing to the dramatic US missile strike on a Syrian air base in response to Bashar al-Assad's 'barbaric' chemical attack - with Theresa May having given her blessing to Donald Trump before it happened.

The American president ordered the US military to fire 59 tomahawk missiles at al-Shayrat military airfield near Homs overnight.

Mr Johnson attacked the Kremlin and said he would instead focus on building support with allies to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Syria

People inspect the Great Mosque, damaged during the Assad regime's airstrike, in Arbin town in Damascus, Syria

A U.S. Navy image shows the USS Ross (DDG 71) firing a tomahawk land attack missile at the Syrian air base

Mr Trump believes the base's jets launched the horrific nerve gas attack on Idlib province earlier this week which killed more than 80 men, women and children.

Downing Street said the missile attack, which destroyed Assad's airfield and planes and killed at least five people, was an 'appropriate response'.

The government was in 'close contact at all levels' throughout yesterday and Mrs May was told in advance that the strikes were going to take place.

However, Britain was not asked to join in.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said it was 'hypothetical' whether the UK would have agreed to take part - playing down the prospects of increasing military involvement. 

Mr Johnson urged the US on Thursday to push for a UN resolution before launching unilateral reprisals against the Syrian regime.

But it became clear  that Russia was determined to block a tough text going through the Security Council in New York. 

Moscow has claimed the chemical atrocity was unleashed when Assad's jets struck a rebel weapons stash.