By Ben Kerrigan-
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a “catastrophe for our continent”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
Britain’a prime minister an emergency Cobra meeting earlier and will give a televised statement later on the UK’s response to Russia’s “unprovoked attack”.
Mr Putin claims to have no plans to occupy Ukraine, despite the full scale invasion and will face severe sanctions from the UK government
The British prime minister said he would also speak to his fellow G7 leaders and called for an urgent meeting of all Nato leaders as soon as possible. Russian forces have launched an assault on Ukraine, – which means the military takes control temporarily – has been imposed across the whole of Ukraine and traffic jams built up as people fled the capital city of Kyiv.
In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky early on Thursday morning, Mr Johnson vowed the West “would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people”.
He said : “President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has summoned the Russian ambassador to explain Russia’s “illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” and that the UK would be “imposing re sanctions”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned Putin’s attack on Ukraine would “have horrendous and tragic consequences that will echo throughout the world and throughout history”, and called for the “hardest possible sanctions” against the Russian leader and his associates.
He added: “There can be no space for equivocation when faced with the evil that Putin has unleashed. His actions pose a grave threat to the international order on which we all depend.”
An estimated seven people are known to have been killed by Russian shelling, including civilians. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said that more than 40 soldiers had died and dozens more were wounded, but this has not been independently confirmed.
Mr Johnson announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed.
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly warned Mr Putin’s comments in recent days suggested he wanted to create “a wider Russian empire in all but name”.
“We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine,” he told the BBC on Thursday morning.
He said new UK sanctions against Russia would be announced “in waves” and warned it would be “the largest and most severe economic sanctions” package Russia had ever seen.
Asked about the prospect of UK boots on the ground in Ukraine, Mr Cleverly said that while Ukraine was a “good friend” of the UK, it was not a member of the Nato military alliance – which obliges members to come to one another’s aid in the event of an armed attack against a member state.
The UK is providing additional military support to eastern Nato member states and will support Ukrainians in their defence of their homeland, he added. After chairing an emergency Cobra meeting earlier and will give a televised statement later on the UK’s response to Russia’s “unprovoked attack”. t
The prime minister will outline new sanctions against Russia in the Commons at 17:00 GMT. He he would also speak to his fellow G7 leaders and called for an urgent meeting of all Nato leaders as soon as possible. In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky early on Thursday morning, Mr Johnson vowed the West “would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people”.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss she had summoned the Russian ambassador to explain Russia’s “illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” and that the UK would be “imposing severe sanctions”. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned Putin’s attack on Ukraine would “have horrendous and tragic consequences that will echo throughout the world and throughout history”, and called for the “hardest possible sanctions” against the Russian leader and his associates. He added: “There can be no space for equivocation when faced with the evil that Putin has unleashed. His actions pose a grave threat to the international order on which we all depend At least seven people are known to have been killed by Russian shelling, including civilians.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said that more than 40 soldiers had died and dozens more were wounded, but this has not been independently confirmed.
It comes after President Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region in a televised address to the Russian people earlier and said the Ukrainian people would be able “to choose freely” who ran the country.
Sanctions
Mr Johnson announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed. It followed the Kremlin ordering troops into the rebel-held Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on recognising them as independent.
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly warned Mr Putin’s comments in recent days suggested he wanted to create “a wider Russian empire in all but name”. “We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine,” he told the BBC on Thursday morning.
Asked about the prospect of UK boots on the ground in Ukraine, Mr Cleverly said that while Ukraine was a “good friend” of the UK, it was not a member of the Nato military alliance – which obliges members to come to one another’s aid in the event of an armed attack against a member state. The UK is providing additional military support to eastern Nato member states and will support Ukrainians in their defence of their homeland, he added.