LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK will respond firmly to Russia’s “unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.
After Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, the Prime Minister expressed his outrage.
Mr Putin had stated that he did not intend to occupy the country, but Ukraine has described the move as a “full-scale invasion.”
The Prime Minister, who is also chairing the Cobra emergency talks, is expected to announce more penalties against Russia to MPs later today.
Mr Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a phone call that the people of Ukraine were on his mind, according to a No 10 spokesperson.
The West “would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people,” the PM assured Mr Zelensky.
“President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching an unprovoked war on Ukraine,” PM Johnson wrote on Twitter.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s leader, warned that Putin’s invasion on Ukraine will have “horrific and catastrophic consequences that will reverberate throughout the world and throughout history,” and he called for the “hardest conceivable sanctions” against Putin.
He said that when confronted with the horror that Putin has unleashed, there can be no room for ambiguity. His actions put the international order on which everyone relies in grave threat.
Early Thursday morning, the Russian military launched an assault on Ukraine, with reports of explosions near key cities around the country.
Russia stated it had conducted air strikes on Ukraine’s military facilities and border guard troops, but not on residential areas, prompting Ukraine to announce a month-long state of emergency.
In a televised speech to the Russian people, President Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region.
He stated that the people of Ukraine will be able to “choose freely” who would lead the country.
Mr Putin also asked Ukrainian soldiers in the conflict zone in the country’s east to lay down their arms and return home, warning that if anybody attempted to take on Russia, Moscow would respond “immediately.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a tweet that the United Kingdom stood behind Ukraine and will work with international allies to respond to Russia’s “terrible act of aggression.”
Mr Putin’s recent words, according to Foreign Office minister James Cleverly, suggested he sought to build “a bigger Russian empire in everything but name.”
They are concerned that this is the commencement of an extensive military action. This isn’t simply a problem limited to the east. Military strikes have been carried out in several locations of Ukraine, he told the BBC.
​​When asked about the possibility of UK boots on the ground in Ukraine, Mr Cleverly said that although Ukraine was a “good friend” of the UK, it wasn’t a Nato military alliance’s member, which obligates members to come to each other’s help in the case of an armed attack against one of its members.
He promised that the UK will impose an “unprecedented punitive set of sanctions,” with more measures to be declared soon.
He also stated that the United Kingdom is offering greater military support to eastern Nato member states and will assist Ukrainians in defending their motherland.
Russia’s new move has sparked international condemnation, with US President Biden calling Russia’s military action a “unprovoked and unjustified attack” and vowing that “the world will hold Russia accountable.”
As part of a coordinated Western response to the situation, the UK unveiled a sanctions’ package against Russia on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson revealed that the assets of five Russian banks had been frozen, and that three Russian billionaires would face travel bans.
