LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) Boris Johnson claims that Ukrainians are battling “heroically” and “successfully” in some areas.
Following a call with the President of Ukraine, the PM Johnson stated that “things are not going all the way of President [Vladimir] Putin.”
He did say, though, that more needed to be done to “alter the heavy odds that Ukraine faces” as a result of Russia’s invasion.
He called for tougher restrictions, including a move to exclude Russia from the Swift global payments system.
On Saturday night, shortly after Mr Johnson’s remarks, the European Commission, in collaboration with the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, announced that some Russian banks will be withdrawn from the Swift messaging system.
Russian troops entered the second city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, on Sunday morning, according to local officials, where they are fighting Ukrainian forces in the streets. Residents have been advised to remain inside.
Overnight, missiles rained down on the city, prompting the advance. The Russians also attacked a nearby natural gas pipeline and an oil facility west of Kyiv.
Only police, soldiers, and volunteers are on the streets of Kyiv currently, which is under a severe curfew until Monday.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the violence in Ukraine has resulted in at least 240 civilian fatalities, including 64 deaths.
Finland and Ireland are the most recent nations to announce that they will no longer allow Russian planes to fly in their airspace. Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, urged other EU partners to follow suit and called for additional broad-based measures to be adopted on Sunday.
Boris Johnson said the UK was delivering financial military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine during a visit to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Saturday.
He also stated that 1,000 troops would be sent to the region to assist with the influx of refugees, and that the government would certainly assist anyone fleeing for their life.
“Things are not going all the way of President Putin. Very far from it, the Ukrainians are fighting heroically, and in some places with great success,” Mr. Johnson explained.
Mr Johnson stated that “terrible atrocities” were being committed and that Ukraine was facing “very grim days ahead.”
He went on to say that Europe had to accept the “hideous fact” that prior diplomatic efforts with Mr Putin were just a charade.
PM Johnson paid tribute to the “incredible heroism and bravery” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people during a call with him on Saturday evening, according to Downing Street.
They voiced alarm over Belarus’ role in the violence and agreed that “the international community must completely isolate Russia diplomatically and financially.”
Mr Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Mr Johnson in a tweet, saying the they had decided to take more actions to “counter the aggressor.”
