UK Prime minister, Boris Johnson, has condemned Vladimir Putin’s full pronged invasion of Ukraine, which he described as a “hideous” and “barbaric” venture.
In a televised address to the British citizens, PM Johnson stated that Putin’s actions should not be allowed to ‘snuff out’ freedom being enjoyed in Ukraine with an act of ‘wanton and reckless aggression.
While condemning Putin’s action as unleashing war on the continent, Johnson sent out a hard message to the West to lend their might to lead to the eventual ‘failure’ of Russia’s incursion ‘diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily’
‘Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,’ he said.
“We cannot and will not just look away,” Johnson said in a televised address to the nation, after phoning Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky just after 4:00 am (0400 GMT) as Russian forces moved in.
Ukraine can be assured of continued UK support given that “our worst fears have now come true and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate”, the prime minister said.
Ahead of an emergency virtual meeting of G7 leaders, Johnson said the West “will agree to a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy”.
Similarly, Johnson’s Foreign Office minister James Cleverly suggested that Russian military commanders should stage a coup to stop Mr Putin’s ‘catastrophically bad judgement call’.
He also took swipes at Putin’s mental state after a series of rambling speeches littered with Soviet-era rhetoric, he said the president seemed to be acting ‘increasingly in isolation’ and ‘illogically’.
– ‘Unprecedented’ sanctions –
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who spoke to her US counterpart Antony Blinken Wednesday evening before Putin announced the start of military operations, joined Johnson in condemning the attack.
The foreign ministry has deployed teams to five countries in eastern Europe to support Britons leaving Ukraine, she noted.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he had instructed the UK Civil Aviation Authority to ensure airlines avoid Ukraine airspace “to keep passengers and crew safe”.
The UK slapped sanctions Tuesday on five Russian banks and three billionaires, in what Johnson called “the first barrage” of measures in response to the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine.
Leading members of Johnson’s ruling Conservatives, as well as the main opposition Labour party, have urged him to hit the Kremlin as hard as possible with the new sanctions.
Foreign office minister James Cleverly vowed London would respond with “unprecedented” steps “to punish this aggression”.
“Those sanctions will be laid today and over forthcoming days to really prevent Russia from funding this invasion,” he told the BBC.
“The sanctions package that will be put in response to this is already actually having an effect,” Cleverly added, noting record falls Thursday on the Russian stock market and a slump in the ruble’s value.
