Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson stated that a Russian military invasion of Ukraine was not an inevitable scenario, but added that the situation was now "pretty gloomy." He stressed that he had warned Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the "disastrous" consequences for the Russian Federation in case of an attack, the BBC reports.
"The intelligence is very clear that there are 60 Russian battle groups on the borders of Ukraine. The plan for a lightning war that could take out Kyiv is one that everybody can see. We need to make it very clear to the Kremlin that that would be a disastrous step," he stressed.
Johnson warned that the invasion could become a "new Chechnya" for Russia.
The Prime Minister also stressed that his country had taken the lead in the process of "creating a package of economic sanctions against Moscow." He also recalled that the UK was supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Additionally. The night before, U.S. President Joe Biden held an online meeting with EU leaders, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and his British counterpart. All participants in the virtual conference agreed that in tcase an invasion, they all have an obligation to "take swift punitive action, including an unprecedented package of sanctions."
Context. Recall: the British authorities announced the evacuation of about half of their diplomats from Ukraine the day before due to the Russian threat. London called their departure a pre-emptive step. Currently, about 30 British diplomats, including the Ambassador, continue to stay in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stated the British Embassy in Kyiv continued to operate as normal but noted that it was important "to prepare for any eventuality."
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