A Ukrainian journalist who broke down in tears in front of Boris Johnson as she demanded a no-fly zone over her home country has spoken out.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Daria Kaleniuk claimed the West has been shirking obligations to Ukraine because they are terrified of World War III.
It comes after she emotionally confronted the Prime Minister at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday as she accused Nato of being too scared to act against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Now the journalist has warned without air support Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants could be destroyed because Putin “doesn’t care where his missiles land”.
She said the United Kingdom and the United States were “obliged to protect Ukraine” after the country gave up the “world’s largest nuclear arsenal” after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
She added: “We gave up this arsenal under the assurances from the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia that if there were the security risks to our country then these three countries would protect us.
“Rusia is shelling bombs and sending missiles to Ukrainian kids and UK and US are saying, ‘Well we don’t have any obligations we are afraid of World War you guys deal with these missiles by yourself.’
“Nato has to intervene and help protect our sky. We are not asking for Nato soldiers here.”
Ms Kaleniuk, who fled Kyiv a couple of days ago, also condemned the UK for not hitting Oligarchs with sanctions.
She said: “Oligarchs are sitting in London and have the most luxurious real estate in Great Britain. Boris Johnson is talking about the unprecedented sanctions ever, and I agree, but we have the most unprecedented war ever after World War III.”
In the press conference on Tuesday, Mr Johnson directly apologised to Ms Kaleniuk for the “tragedy and suffering” because of the Kremlin’s invasion.
But the Prime Minister ruled out allies enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine because of the disastrous consequences that could follow UK forces engaging in combat with Russians.
Ms Kaleniuk had told him: “Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children are in deep fear because of bombs and missiles which are going from the sky. Ukrainian people are desperately asking for the rights to protect our sky, we are asking for a no-fly zone.
“What’s the alternative for the no-fly zone?”
Mr Johnson said he welcomed her passionate question and he said he was “glad” she had made it to Poland.
He said he was “acutely conscious that there is not enough we can do as the UK Government to help in the way that you want”.
Mr Johnson added: “Unfortunately the implication of that is the UK would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes, would be engaged in direct combat with Russia – that’s not something we can do.”
Ben Wallace on Tuesday again rejected calls for the UK and its allies to enforce a no-fly zone in the skies above Ukraine.
The Defence Secretary said a no-fly zone would also have to apply to Ukrainian jets, meaning they could not target Russian forces from the air.
He added: “If you had a no-fly zone in Ukraine, the overwhelming scale of the Russian army would be able to drive around with impunity, which it can’t at the moment.”
But he said the UK had “led the way” in supplying surface-to-air weapons systems to Ukraine.
“There are two ways to achieve a no-fly zone. One is the way that Britain has led the way in, which is arming the Ukrainians with anti-air capabilities, from the ground to the air, and the reason they are doing the bombing at night is because they can’t – because of those weapon systems – the Russians cannot fly much in the day,” he told Today.
He warned Russia should prepare for “years of resistance” to the invasion and an occupying force would face the kind of insurgency faced by the Soviets in Afghanistan or the UK and Western allies in Iraq.
“Invading a country with overwhelming force is one thing, occupying a people of 44 million who don’t want you in – it is a very different thing,” he said.
