The Prime Minister has said the UK will “continue to bring maximum pressure to bear” on Russia as he pledged that Vladimir Putin would “feel the consequences” for invading Ukraine. Boris Johnson is due to meet British troops serving in Estonia, which shares a border with Russia.
On the eve of his trip on Tuesday to Poland and Estonia, Mr Johnson said international leaders were united in agreeing that the Russian president “must fail” after his decision to send troops into the neighbouring country.
Mr Johnson is due to meet with Warsaw and Tallinn leaders and visit British troops. Speaking before his visit to the two eastern European members of Nato, the Prime Minister said: “Today I will visit Poland and Estonia, two countries that are acutely affected by the current crisis in Ukraine.
“We have shared values that are more important than ever to protect, as the humanitarian situation gets worse. Alongside all our international allies the UK will continue to bring maximum pressure to bear on Putin’s regime to ensure he feels the consequences of his actions in Ukraine. We speak with one voice when we say, Putin must fail.”
Officials said Mr Johnson will meet Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to underpin the UK’s financial and diplomatic support for central Europe as it faces the prospect of a humanitarian crisis, with Ukrainian refugees continuing to head for the Polish border. The Prime Minister will then travel on to Estonia, where he will speak with Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
They will jointly visit British troops serving “on the front line of Russian aggression” in Tapa, No 10 officials said. Mr Johnson will also meet Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Estonian President Alar Karis to discuss European security and stability.
The trip comes after Poland and Romania joined a G7, European Union and Nato leaders’ phone call on Monday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Downing Street said the leaders “agreed to pursue every avenue to ensure that Putin fails in his ambitions”. During the call, Mr Johnson stressed the need for allies to continue to provide Kyiv with defensive weapons and the requirement to support Ukraine’s neighbours, which include Poland, in dealing with “large numbers of Ukrainians escaping violence in the country”.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will also embark on a diplomatic mission as she prepares to address the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Cabinet minister is expected to tell the council that Mr Putin has “blood on his hands” and that he has been “murdering Ukrainians indiscriminately”.
“Putin is violating international law… he is violating human rights on an industrial scale and the world will not stand for it,” Ms Truss is expected to say in a speech urging the West to “isolate” Russia as a result of the war it has instigated. The comments are due to be made only 24 hours after Moscow suggested it had put the Russian nuclear deterrent on high alert in response to unspecified comments made by Ms Truss.
The ministerial trips come after the UK Government looked to “up the pressure” on the Kremlin on Monday, with fresh sanctions on Russian banks and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urging all UK ports to deny access to Russian flagged, registered or operated vessels.
Ukraine was braced for another evening of attacks, with reports that Kyiv had come under fire on Monday evening. BBC broadcaster Clive Myrie said he had to take shelter underground after the building he was reporting from in the capital was “shaken by nearby missile fire”. He tweeted: “Windows shook. Closest blast yet to our base. Fighting coming closer to heart of Kyiv.”
It came after a first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no immediate agreements. Western officials believe that so far around half of the Russian forces that had been ringed around Ukraine’s borders have been committed to the assault on the country. Moscow could use more indiscriminate force if the invasion stalls, British officials fear.
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