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Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Torcuil Crichton

Boris Johnson told sanctions not enough as Russian forces close in on Kyiv

Boris Johnson has been told by the Ukraine President his package of sanctions against Vladimir Putin do not go far enough.

Ukraine has pleaded for more help to defend itself from Russian aggression amid warnings that Putin’s forces are closing in on the capital.

After holding talks with Boris Johnson on Friday morning Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded tougher sanctions and support fending off the Russian invasion.

The two leaders spoke as Kyiv was hit by fresh rocket strikes and small arms fire was heard in the capital's suburbs.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister pledged further support “in the coming days” after the president updated him on the “terrible developments” in the Ukrainian capital.

A Downing Street statement said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelensky this morning to express his solidarity with Ukraine.

“President Zelensky updated the Prime Minister on the most recent Russian military advances, including missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities and the terrible developments in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning.

“The Prime Minister committed to provide further UK support to Ukraine in the coming days as the people of Ukraine and the world continue to demonstrate that Putin cannot act with impunity.”

But Zelensky called on western governments to go further as he feared he would be targeted by Russian special forces in an attempt to decapitate the Ukraine government.

The AFP news agency reported on Friday morning that explosions and gunfire have been heard in a northern district of Kyiv, as invading Russian forces closed in.

Although Russian forces are at the gates of the capital UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Putin failed in his first day objectives following the invasion.

The Defence Secretary said the Russians had already lost more than 450 army personnel and the elite Spetsnaz special forces had also failed to hang on to an airport they had initially seized during the first wave of their attacks.

Speaking to broadcasters Wallace stated again that Putin has “gone full tonto” by launching an attack on the Ukraine.

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