Cabinet minister Sajid Javid yesterday warned Russia that just one of its troops setting a “toecap” on NATO soil would be an act of war, as the kremlin threatened to complete its Ukraine invasion “in full”.
Mr Javid said he believed a direct attack on a NATO member was still “very unlikely”.
But he added any incursion would trigger an alliance response under its mutual defence policy.
Health Secretary Mr Javid said: “We’ve made it very clear to the Russians – even before the start of this conflict – if a single Russian toecap steps into NATO territory, it will be considered an act of war.”
His comments follow Sunday’s deadly strike on the Yavoriv base, is 15 miles from Ukraine’s border with NATO member Poland.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile denied US suggestions that Russia had asked China for military kit to help Vladimir Putin’s invaders.
He said: “Russia possesses its own potential to continue the operation.
"It is going according to plan and will be completed on time and in full.”
And Peskov chillingly warned allegations by the US and EU that Putin had grown frustrated with the war’s progress, amounted to a provocation to storm cities.
He said: “The defence ministry of the Russian Federation while ensuring the maximum safety of the civilian population, does not exclude the possibility of taking major population centres under full control.”
Peskov was contradicted by one of Putin’s closest allies on whether the invasion had worked out as planned.
Viktor Zolotov, chief of Russia’s national guard and a member of the dictator’s security council admitted: “Not everything is going as fast as we would like.
"But we are going towards our goal, step by step, and victory will be for us.”
One UK defence expert suggested Russia’s forces may have hit problems because they are riddled with “deep cultural problems, such as deep corruption”.
Prof Michael Clarke, a director of Exeter University’s Strategy and Security Institute, said: “Reforms to the ‘large, modern’ Russian army have not gone very well.
"The part which is modern is not large, and the part which is large is not modern.
“Weapons systems and equipment haven’t been performing well because exercises were not completed properly, and commanders lied about this in their paperwork, pretending they had capabilities that weren’t there, so the force is simply not battle-ready.”
NATO defence ministers will meet for crisis talks on Wednesday at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
With the war entering its 20th day on Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned them it is “only a matter of time” before a member of the alliance comes under attack.
He is expected again to demand a no-fly zone over Ukraine in an address to the US Congress tomorrow.
Mr Zelensky said in a televised speech: “If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on NATO territory, on the homes of citizens.”
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said Russia’s barbaric missile strikes were “deeply concerning” adding: “We continue to call on the regime to stop the bombardment of Ukraine and focus on negotiating.”
The PM today hosts Baltic and Scandinavian leaders for talks in London. Representatives from Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway will be there.
The countries form the Joint Expeditionary Force of nations which has taken a leading role in providing military support to Ukraine.
Mr Johnson will later hold talks with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts. His spokesman said: “We want to get the broadest possible coalition to stand up to Putin.”
In the Netherlands, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain would also bolster International Criminal Court efforts to probe war crimes.
Speaking after visiting the ICC in The Hague, Mr Raab said it was vital “commanders on the ground – those who may be receiving illegal orders, as well as those in the Kremlin, knew they could be held to account.”
Despite Putin’s ruthless crackdown on dissent, a protester yesterday burst onto the set of the nightly news on state-run Russian Channel 1, shouting “Stop the war!” and holding a sign reading: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying.”
