Afternoon summary
- Johnson has warned that President Putin might try to “Grozny-fy” the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and destroy it. (See 4.58pm.)
- A Ukrainian campaigner challenged Johnson over the UK’s failure to bring in swift sanctions against Russians resident in London, in an emotional intervention during a press conference in Poland. You can read her speech at 12.31pm.
That’s all from me for today. But the Ukraine coverage continue on our global blog covering the crisis. It’s here.
Updated
Three ways you can help the people of Ukraine from the UK
If you are interested in doing something to help the people of Ukraine, my colleague Tobi Thomas has a guide to what you can do. It’s here.
MPs to get 2.7% pay rise, taking salary to £84,144
The MPs’ pay watchdog has decided to increase the salary of the UK’s elected representatives, PA Media reports. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has announced that the annual adjustment to MPs’ basic pay for 2022-23 will be 2.7% – the same as the average increase in pay for public sector employees last year. It said that would bring the overall salary from £81,932 to £84,144 from April 1 2022.
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Starmer says Home Office visa plans do not go far enough, saying 'simple route to sanctuary' needed
Keir Starmer has said the plans for relax visa rules for Ukrainians fleeing the war and wanting to come to the UK do not go far enough. Speaking to reporters after a visit to a Ukrainian Orthodox church in London, he said:
I think we need to go further in our support for Ukraine.
First and foremost, what the people of Ukraine, those in Ukraine, want is our support to help them in defending their cities and defending their country. So that’s the first level of support that we need.
Of course, we need to ramp up even more the economic sanctions and there’s a frustration that whilst we’ll vote with the government on sanctions, we want them to go further, we want them to go faster.
“And of course, on the humanitarian front, we’re seeing people fleeing, we must do as we’ve historically done, which is to give them the support that they need. A simple route to sanctuary is what we’re seeking.
I don’t think the Home Office and home secretary have gone far enough on this, but it’s all those three levels of support that are absolutely crucial at the moment.
Turning away from Ukraine, Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, has been giving evidence to the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee. In his recent levelling up white paper he proposes more devolution for the regions of England, but he told the committee he was opposed to holding referendums on these devolution proposals. He said:
Having been involved in referendums in the past, I find they tend not to bring folk together, so I think it’s better to rely on discussions with properly constituted figures.
The last Labour government held a referendum on plans to set up a regional assembly in the north-east, and the idea was comprehensively rejected. Since then powers have been devolved to regions, mainly through metro mayors, but without referendums being called.
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No 10 criticises Tory MP for going to Ukraine
The Conservative MP Adam Holloway has been criticised by Downing Street for travelling to Ukraine against his own government’s advice, PA Media reports. PA says:
Holloway, a former soldier and MP for Gravesham, Kent, has appeared in television interviews after crossing into the war-struck country from south-east Poland.
Speaking to GB News, he described “extraordinary scenes” of refugees queueing at the border to flee Ukraine.
The 56-year-old, who serves on the foreign affairs committee, appears to have gone against the government’s own guidance, with the Foreign Office advising against all travel to Ukraine.
The PM’s spokesperson said he was not aware of Holloway’s trip to Ukraine but “our advice applies to everyone”. Asked if Holloway should come home, the spokesperson said: “He should certainly not travel to Ukraine.”
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Johnson warns Putin might try to 'Grozny-fy' Kyiv and destroy it
Boris Johnson has recorded an interview with ITV News in Estonia. Much of what he said in it repeated what he said earlier in the day, in Warsaw and at his press conference in Tallinn, but here are the fresh lines.
- Johnson warned that President Putin might try to “Grozny-fy” the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Asked what he thought Putin would do next, he said:
I think that he’s gone into a cul-de-sac and it’s very difficult for him to back out, and that’s the problem we’ve got.
And if you’re sitting where he is, his only instinct is going to be to double down and to try and ‘Grozny-fy’ Kyiv, if you know what I mean. And to reduce it to [rubble], and I think that that would be an unalterable moral humanitarian catastrophe and I hope he doesn’t do that.
I hope he has the wisdom to see that there must be a better way forward but what he’s got to do is to disengage, with the column of tanks, 40km long, going towards Kyiv, he needs to put those tanks into reverse or turn them round and that is the number one thing.
Grozny is the capital of Chechnya, and it was pulverised by the Russians in the Chechen war. In 2003 the UN called it the most destroyed city on earth. Johnson’s neologism is vivid and memorable - at the Daily Telegraph he was paid handsomely to coin terms like this - but it may open him up to the charge of being unduly frivolous on a subject that is anything but.
- Johnson criticised Russian oligarchs for generally not speaking out against Putin. Asked if oligarchs with investments in the UK should be speaking out, he said:
I think that their silence is inexplicable, and I think that people need to step up and denounce this act of aggression, and those oligarchs who have connections with the Putin regime and who are benefiting from their association with the Russian state, we are going to expose and distrain their assets.
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France urges UK to relax visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing war
France has asked UK authorities to relax visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, an adviser to President Emmanuel Macron has told French media, after what the Élysée called over-restrictive rules led to people being stranded in northern France.
“We have drawn the attention of the British authorities to the difficulties associated with the lack of information and the over-restrictive nature of this system,” the adviser told Le Parisien newspaper today.
The adviser said the system represented an additional “heavy administrative burden” on refugees, in particular because “at this stage [the UK] is not issuing visas on the spot, but in its consulates and embassies”.
France welcomes Ukrainians without visas under the EU’s 90-day rule, which means they can spend 90 days out of every 180 in the Schengen zone visa-free. The UK’s insistence on people escaping the conflict needing a visa to enter Britain has already caused problems for some families in France.
Le Parisien said a family of nine Ukrainians who drove from Ukraine to Calais were turned away by UK border control officers and will be housed in a hotel in nearby Coquelles while they establish whether they can travel onward.
The Guardian on Monday reported how several Ukrainians in France trying to bring their families to the UK had been refused visas despite being eligible, and were grappling with complicated British immigration bureaucracy in Paris.
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Although Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, has criticised the government for not introducing a more generous policy for Ukrainians wanting to flee the war and come to the UK (see 9.54am), Labour has not endorsed a full “open door” policy – effectively offering sanctuary to any Ukrainian. This has angered Momentum, the Labour group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn and its agenda. Its co-chair, Andrew Scattergood, said:
The Labour leadership must urgently change position and fully commit to safe passage for every Ukrainian refugee who needs it, as the EU has done.
Even Tory MPs are recognising an open door policy is the bare minimum we should be demanding for Ukrainians.
Scattergood was referring to a letter sent to the government by the One Nation group of Conservative MPs saying: “Our message must be clear: Ukrainian victims of war seeking refuge are welcome.”
Updated
Johnson says imposing a no-fly zone is “not on the agenda of any Nato country”.
When it comes to a no-fly zone in the skies above Ukraine we have to accept the reality that that involves shooting down Russian planes ... that’s a very, very big step, it’s simply not on the agenda of any Nato country.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
Updated
Q: [From Danish TV] Do you want to see Denmark increase the number of troops it has in Estonia?
Johnson says Denmark has increased its contribution already. That is good, he says.
Johnson suggests trying to remove Russia as permanent member of UN security council not realistic
Q: Do the Russian tactics mean cities in Ukraine will fall to the Russians?
Kallas says we should not underestimate the determination of the Ukrainians to fight.
Even if the Russians do take cities, they will find them hard to hold, she says.
She says the Ukrainians have surprised everyone by their determination to fight.
It would be the same in Estonia, she says. “We have already lost our freedom once and we don’t want to lose it a second time.”
Johnson says what is happening in Kharkiv reminds him of the shelling of Sarajevo.
Q: Do you support Russia losing its seat as a permanent member on the UN security council?
Johnson says that would be very difficult to achieve. The Russians would have a veto.
But he says opinion at the UN is shifting. People are horrified by what they are seeing.
Johnson says UK government is not supporting British volunteers going to Ukraine to fight
The leaders are now taking questions.
Q: The UK is supporting volunteers going to fight. In what circumstances should Nato get involved?
Johnson says it is not right to say the UK is backing volunteers going to Ukraine. (In other words, Liz Truss was not speaking for the government on Sunday.)
Johnson says the UK has laws about going to war. He says you would need support from the people and parliament to engage in conflict. That is “not on the agenda”, he says.
Jens Stoltenberg thanks Johnson and the UK for leading the Nato battlegroup in Estonia, and for doubling its contribution recently. It makes a huge difference, and demonstrates Nato solidarity, he says.
He says Nato has extended its defensive presence recently. It has 100 jets on alert from 30 locations, and 120 ships deployed. There is no room for miscalculation, he says. He says the Nato commitment to article 5 (collective defence) is ironclad.
Updated
Johnson is speaking now
He stresses that the Nato reinforcements in Estonia are there for a defensive purpose.
Johnson holds press conference with Estonian PM and Nato secretary general
Boris Johnson is now holding a press conference with Kaja Kallas, prime minister of Estonia, and Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general.
Kallas says Estonia will continue to provide support to Ukraine. “We cannot stop until we have stopped Putin,” she says.
She says Ukraine should be given “a very clear signal” to join the EU. The security of Ukraine is the security of Europe, she says.
A host of UK bars and hospitality firms have stopped the sale of Russian vodka due to the continuing invasion of Ukraine, PA Media reports. PA says Nightcap Group and Arc Inspirations are among bar operators to remove vodka and other alcohol products from Russia from their venues in a move of solidarity with people in Ukraine. Sarah Willingham, former Dragon’s Den entrepreneur and founder of Nightcap, described the move as a “little thing” the business could do in response to the conflict.
Here is the full text of Priti Patel’s statement to MPs about changes to the visa scheme for Ukrainians.
Yvette Cooper has posted this on Twitter welcoming the news that Valentyna Klymova, whose case was covered by the Guardian on Sunday and raised by Cooper in the Commons yesterday, is now covered by the Home Office scheme.
Very glad Valentyna Klymova is now able to join her daughter in UK after I raised her case in Parliament yesterday. Elderly parents from Ukraine shd not be turned away by Border Force. Govt has finally accepted this but there’s still more to do to help those needing sanctuary. pic.twitter.com/ChHs3L0HgM
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 1, 2022
Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock
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Earlier today the Labour MP Chris Bryant said Radio 5 Live cancelled an interview with him because they were worried what he might say about Russian oligarchs. MPs cannot be sued for what they say in the House of Commons, because of parliamentary privilege, but they are at risk of libel claims when speaking outside the Commons, as are the organisations that print or broadcast their words.
Interesting @bbc5live just cancelled an interview with me at 7.30 because their lawyers couldn’t vet what I was going to say beforehand. I guess some oligarchs’ lawyers are cracking down on free speech. Sad that broadcasters are playing their game.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) March 1, 2022
Radio 5 Live said it was standard practice to ask what an interviewee was likely to say.
It is standard procedure to ask a guest for a briefing before an interview. We had not been able to arrange this and so had not been able to check any legal considerations. We'd love to have you on another time.
— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) March 1, 2022
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said “nothing and no one is off the table” in terms of sanctions against Russia as she addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva today. She said:
Putin is responsible for civilian casualties and over 500,000 people fleeing with the numbers still rising fast. The blood is on Putin’s hands, not just of innocent Ukrainians but the men he has sent to die.
We’re using our collective heft, making up over half the world’s economy to cut funding from Putin’s war machine and we’re delivering severe economic costs through these sanctions as ordinary Russians are finding form queues at their local banks and rising interest rates.
These consequences will only increase in breadth and severity as the conflict goes on, we’re working to squeeze the Putin regime harder and harder by steadily tightening the vice.
We’re going after the highest echelons of the Russian elite, targeting President Putin personally and all of those complicit in his aggression. Nothing and no one is off the table.
Hospitals beefing up cybersecurity in light of war in Ukraine, says NHS chief executive
The NHS is encouraging hospitals to shore up cybersecurity and examining its supply chain resilience in the wake of the situation in Ukraine, PA Media reports. PA says:
The service is also working with government to examine whether it has medical supplies which can be sent to help medical staff tending to casualties on the ground.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, said the service is also working to support affected staff.
Asked about the conflict, Pritchard told the Nuffield Trust Summit Series event: “What does it mean for us?
“The first thing is support for our staff who are from the Ukraine but I’m also talking about wider support for all of our staff including anybody from eastern Europe or Russia. We have had an outpouring of support locally for people whose families might be affected by this or who are worried themselves ... so the more that we can do to provide both practical and emotional support for staff who are affected by this, that’s got to be top of mind.
“The second thing [is cyber] - we have written out to the NHS, a lot of it is just a good practice about what what you should be doing around cybersecurity, but again, this just kind of brings it to the forefront. And I think for those organisations, who are still just working through some patching and other things, just encouraging people to make that the focus at the moment.”
She added: “The third thing, is about our supply chain resilience. So we’re doing some work nationally looking at supply chain resilience, energy resilience is clearly kind of part of that.”
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Roman Abramovich 'terrified of being sanctioned' and selling UK property in a hurry, MP claims
Last week the Labour MP Chris Bryant quoted from a leaked Home Office document in the Commons when he said Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner, was identified by thegovernment in 2019 as having links to the Russian state as well as to “corrupt activity and practices”. Bryant said Abramovich should have his assets in the UK seized.
This afternoon Bryant told Priti Patel, the home secretary, that he thought Abramovich was selling up in the UK quickly in the hope of avoiding sanctions. He said:
I think he’s terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he’s already going to sell his home tomorrow, and sell another flat as well. My anxiety is that we’re taking too long about these things.
Bryant said he thought ministers were frightened of oligarchs going to court to challenge sanctions decisions, and he said ministers would be in a stronger legal position if they read sanctions criteria into the record, in a proceeding of parliament. Then they would have the protection of parliamentary privilege for their claims, he argued.
Patel told Bryant that his points were “absolutely valid”. Sanctions were taking time, she said. But she said sanctions legislation was coming to the Commons soon.
Updated
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, says the government has now passed legislation banning Russian ships from British ports.
At London's Foreign Office where we've just become the first nation to pass a law involving a total BAN of ALL ships with ANY Russian connection whatsoever from entering British ports.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 1, 2022
Please RT to encourage all countries to do the same in support of the people of #Ukraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/yjI9NRD6E3
The Liberal Democrats have said the new Home Office visa scheme for Ukrainians does not go far enough. In a statement Alistair Carmichael, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, said:
It is shameful that we are having to drag the government inch by inch towards making a real commitment to the Ukrainians now fleeing Putin’s war machine.
Even as the Russian missiles rain down and a huge convoy advances on Kyiv, the home secretary is still refusing to open a fast and simple refugee scheme for Ukrainian refugees. Worse, she is pressing ahead with her anti-refugee bill that would criminalise any Ukrainians who come here to seek asylum.
Stewart C McDonald, the SNP’s spokesperson on home affairs, said that Priti Patel’s announcement was an improvement on what she announced yesterday. But he said these concessions had had to be dragged out of the Home Office.
And he described the estimates about the number of people likely to benefit - 100,000, 200,000 - as works of fiction.
UPDATE: McDonald said:
Why is it that yet again at a time of humanitarian crisis, the Home Office is having to be dragged towards a generous and comprehensive response instead of a shambolic and miserly mess.
For days the home secretary has lagged behind the demands of the public, demands from this parliament and even within her own party. For Ukrainians already here, instead of a piecemeal visa extension, can we have a comprehensive extension of all visas for at least a year ... Will the department stop with this PR exercise, picking numbers out of a hat, to justify its miserly response. 100,000, 200,000, these are completely and utterly works of fiction designed to get the Home Office out of a hole.
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This is from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom, clarifying what Priti Patel said earlier.
Labour also asked what would happen to stepchildren, to which Ms Patel replied: "It is a family scheme". Sources confirmed stepchildren will be eligible.https://t.co/6xQNxk2jbt
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) March 1, 2022
In her reply to Cooper, Patel claimed the British government was the first goverment to be outlining practical measures for helping Ukrainians come to the country. That provoked heckling from Labour MPs who did not accept that. Patel claimed her point was true.
On the point about step-children, Patel said it was a “family scheme”.
Asked about the person who paid £700 in fees, Patel said if she was covered by the scheme, costs would be refunded.
She repeated the point about the offering being “very generous”. There were no caps on the scheme, she said. She said the government did not know how many Ukrainians would come, but the figures were based on advice from the Ukrainian government.
Patel also said the government was being told people wanted to stay “in region”. The government is providing support to people there, she said.
Patel said Michael Gove’s levelling up department would take the lead in making the community sponsorship scheme work.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said she was glad the Home Office had changed its scheme in response to complaints from the opposition.
But she says she had concerns about how the new scheme would operate.
She said the Ukrainian woman she referred to in the Commons yesterday, and who Priti Patel said was now in the UK, had to pay around £700 for a visa. Will that be refunded?
She asked if step-children would be included.
She asked if sponsoring family members in the UK would have to be British nationals, or have indefinite leave to remain.
She said she was concerned the community route would take a long time. Has the government considered a humanitarian visa?
She said the existing community sponsorship scheme for a refugee had only helped around 100 people a year over the last five years. It is very slow, she said.
And Cooper said this was not a resettlement scheme; the people coming to the UK would not get government support.
And she asked how Patel calculated the 200,000 arrivals figure. Cooper said she could not work out how that figure was obtained.
Updated
Patel says Ukrainians without relatives in UK could also benefit from new 'very generous' visa scheme
Patel says MPs are united in their horror at what is happening in Ukraine. She says Vladimir Putin must fail.
The UK is “standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine”, she says.
She summarises some of the sanction measures being taken against Russia.
She says yesterday she announced the first phase of a bespoke humanitarian support package for Ukrainians fleeing their country.
She refers to a case raised by Yvette Cooper yesterday, and she says that person has now been able to come to the UK.
She says the government has created additional capacity for dealing with visa applications.
She says the usual language requirement and salary threshold have been removed for Ukrainians coming to the UK to join family members. And the usual 12-month time limit will be waived, she says.
She says an additional 100,000 Ukrainians will be able to come to the UK as a result of these changes.
Visas for Ukrainians already in the UK are being extended, she says.
She says some opposition MPs want visa rules to be waived. But there are security concerns about this, she says. Extremists are on the ground, she says.
She offers to give the opposition a security briefing, but she says she is “sceptical” about how they treat security advice.
Biometric visa requirements should not be suspended, she says.
Given ... Putin’s willingness to do violence on British soil, and in keeping with our approach which we have retained consistently throughout all emergency evacuations including in Afghanistan, we cannot suspend any security or biometric checks on people we welcome to our country.
We have collective duty to keep the British people safe and this approach is based on the strongest security advice.
She says, as outlined by the PM earlier today, phase two of the support package can be announced. She says the definition of close family member is being extended.
And she says a route is being opened up for Ukrainians who do not have close family members in the UK, but who can get sponsorship from a firm or individual.
People will be able to volunteer to sponsor a Ukrainian. They will be matched by people in need.
She says there will be no limit on the numbers who can apply through this scheme.
This is a “very generous” and unprecedented offer, she says.
She says it means the British public will be able to support displaced Ukrainians.
Updated
Priti Patel's statement to MPs about new visa rules for Ukrainains
Priti Patel, the home secretary, is making her Commons statement now about the new visa rules for Ukrainians coming to the UK.
Our story about the changes is here.
British firms and individuals will be able to sponsor Ukrainians coming to UK, says PM
Boris Johnson did not fully announce the new visa rules for Ukrainians at his press conference in Warsaw earlier, but he referred to them when he said that 200,000 Ukrainians could benefit. (See 11.01am.)
In his answer, he also said that British businesses and individuals would be able to sponsor Ukrainians coming to the UK. He said:
We have always had a tradition of welcoming people in large numbers from crisis areas, from from war zones.
So what we’re going to do is we’re extending the family scheme, so that actually very considerable numbers would be eligible, as I set out earlier. You could be talking about 200,000, maybe more.
Additionally we’re going to have a humanitarian scheme, and then a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK. So we’re doing exactly what the UNHCR is asking us to do and we will be in the forefront of helping the humanitarian crisis.
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Johnson says Ukraine war will lead to rethink of European security
In his response to Daria Kaleniuk at his press conference in Warsaw (see 12.31pm) Boris Johnson repeated his argument that imposing a no-fly zone would lead to Nato being at war with Russia. But he also said the conflict would lead to a rethink about European security. He said:
This whole misadventure by Vladimir Putin has raised questions about the security of Europe and what we do. I think it was entirely reasonable of Volodymyr Zelenskiy to ask for EU membership and I think that Nato will have to think much more about some of the ways in which we think about European security in the future, because if Putin can attack Ukraine in a way that is unprovoked, a completely innocent country, then that has big implications for the world, and for the security of other countries as well.
'Where are all these mansions seized?' - how PM was ambushed by Ukrainian saying west should do more
The Ukrainian woman who criticised Boris Johnson at his press conference in Warsaw over the timidity of the west’s response to Russia was Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre civil society organisation. Here is an edited version of her question, which was in reality a speech, and an indictment of what the UK and other western countries have been doing. She said:
I passed the border a couple of days ago, I’m from Kyiv. Most of my family, most of my team members, are still in Ukraine ... A woman from my team is now in [unclear] and she is there with two kids and [the] Russian military is over there, and she is so much afraid that she will be shot.
Kharkiv, the city where I was studying, was bombarded today, fully, the downtown square. So you are talking about the stoicism of Ukrainian people, But Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children are in deep fear because of bombs and missiles which are going from the sky.
And Ukrainian people are desperately asking for the west to protect our sky. We are asking for the no-fly zone. You are saying in response that it will trigger world war three. But what is the alternative, Mr Prime Minister? ...
We have planes here, we have [an] air defence system in Poland, in Romania. Nato has this air defence; at least this air defence would shield western Ukraine, so these children, with women, could come to the border.
It’s impossible now to cross the border. There are 30 kilometres of mines. Imagine crossing the border with a baby, or with two children ...
You’re coming to Poland. You are not coming to Kyiv, you are not coming to Lviv, because you are afraid, because Nato is not willing to defend, because Nato is afraid of world war three, but it is already starting, and Ukrainian children who are there are taking the hit.
You’re talking about more sanctions, prime minister. But Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned ... His children are not in the bombardments. His children are there in London. Putin’s children are in the Netherlands, in Germany, in mansions. Where are all these mansions [being] seized? I don’t see that.
I see my family members, my team members, are saying that we are crying, we don’t know where to run. This is what is happening, prime minister.
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No 10 says visa rules for Ukrainians being eased so wider category of relatives allowed to join family in UK
At the Downing Street lobby brieing the prime minister’s spokesman confirmed that the government is going to expand its family visa scheme for Ukrainians wanting to flee the war by coming to the UK.
On Sunday the government announced some changes to the rules, and Priti Patel, the home secretry, said that those would lead to an extra 100,000 Ukrainians becoming eligible.
But they were criticised because the Home Office applied a very tight definition of immediate family in the rules allowing Ukrainians with relatives in the UK to come to the country. The visas, which are available free under this scheme, were only available to relatives who were spouses, unmarried partners of at least two years, parents or children of the person in Briton (provided the child was under 19), or adult relatives who were also carers.
Downing Street says this definition is now being extended, and that it will now cover Ukrainian relatives who are adult parents, grandparents, adult children or siblings of people settled in the UK.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, will give more details in her Commons statement later.
The rule change explains why Boris Johnson was earlier talking about an extra 200,000 Ukrainians being eligible to come to the UK under the revised rules, and not 100,000 (the figure given yesterday).
Patel to make fresh statement to MPs about Ukraine
There are two statements in the Commons today. At 12.30pm Rachel Maclean, the safeguarding minister, will make a statement about HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. And at around 1.30pm Priti Patel, the home secetary, will make a statement about Ukraine.
Here is the clip of the Ukrainian activist, Daria Kaleniuk, confronting Boris Johnson at his press conference in Warsaw earlier over the timidity of the west’s response to Russia.
Updated
According to Sky’s Kate McCann, Boris Johnson’s reference to the UK admitting 200,000 Ukrainians (after Priti Patel yesterday put the figure at 100,000) means the eligibility criteria are going to be widened.
Understand PM's reference to expanding the number of Ukrainians allowed to join relatives in UK means loosening the eligibility criteria from just spouses/children under 18 to Grandparents, siblings and adult children. Means additional 100,000 people now eligible
— Kate McCann (@KateEMcCann) March 1, 2022
Johnson defends ruling out no-fly zone as Ukrainian activist berates him over west's failure to do more
Johnson takes a question from an activist from Ukraine.
Q: Ukrainian people are taking shelter underground. How can you protect them without a no-fly zone? You are not coming to Ukraine, because you are at risk there. But people in Ukraine are at risk. Imagine crossing the border with a baby. And you say you are imposing sanctions. But Roman Abramovich has not been sanctioned yet.
It is more of a speech, than a question, and it is a very moving one too. Towards the end the activist sounded close to tears.
Johnson thanks the activist for her question. He admits that the government cannot do enough. He says if the UK were to impose a no-fly zone, that would lead to direct combat with Russia. The consequences would be very hard to control, he says.
He defends the UK’s record, saying that it was the first European country to offer Ukraine military support.
He says Putin is doomed to fail.
He says it would be wrong to think the UK can fix this by military means.
He says this will lead to a reassessment of the way security is provided in Europe. The attack on Ukraine has “big implications” for security, he says.
He says Ukraine is attracting sympathy and international support around the world. He says that will lead to Putin losing, but he accepts that it may take time.
He ends by again thanking the questioner for sharing her experiences.
UPDATE: I have corrected the post above because the questioner was not a journalist but Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, a civil society organisation.
Updated
Q: You say Putin must fail. But what does that mean? How much of a financial hit will people in Britain face? And, as a father, what do you feel looking at pictures of children being killed?
Johnson says Putin is a father too. He says no one can understand why he has unleashed this conflict. He won’t succeed. He says he fears, though, that Putin will “double down on violence”.
I think I felt what everybody in the world felt looking at that, that this is absolutely senseless.
I think Vladimir Putin is father himself, and no one can possibly understand how he has unleashed this conflict which seems to everybody to be so futile. Everybody can see that the Ukrainians are resisting.
Johnson ignores the first two questions.
Updated
Johnson says sanctions could go further. There is more to be done on the Swift payments system, on Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, on freezing assets, and on cutting sporting links with Russia.
There is plainly more to be done on Swift, we can tighten up yet further on Swift, even though it has had a dramatic effect already I think we do need to go further. There’s more to be done on Sberbank, there’s more to be done on the freezing of Russian assets. I think there’s genuine amazement and dismay in Russia about what has happened already but there is more to be done.
Updated
Johnson says UK could take in 200,000 Ukrainians
Boris Johnson has just finished delivering his speech in Poland (I will post the highlights shortly). Now he is taking questions.
Q: Should the Russian attacks on civilians be designated war crimes?
Johnson says Putin is already using barbaric weapons. He says he has seen reports about cluster bombs and thermobaric bombs. They will need to be verified, he says. But he says Russians need to understand that people are collecting evidence. He says people who use illegal weapons against civilians could be brought “to the bar of history and and or rather to the international criminal court”.
Q: Shouldn’t the UK go much further in taking in refugees?
Johnson says the UK has always had a tradition of taking people from war zones. He says the rules have been changed. That could lead to the UK taking 200,000 people, maybe more.
(Yesterday the government figure was 100,000. It appears to have doubled overnight.)
And the UK is supplying humanitarian aid, he says.
He recalls how the UK has taken in a large number of people leaving Hong Kong during his premiership.
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Downing Street has issued a readout of Boris Johnson’s talks with Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish PM. A Downing Street spokesperson said:
[Johnson] told Prime Minister Morawiecki that this is a key moment for the Ukrainian resistance and we must be ready to increase and intensify sanctions.
The prime minister praised Poland for being on the front line of humanitarian efforts.
They discussed the talks between Ukraine and Russia and the long-term disinformation that had misled Russian troops. The leaders welcomed EU and Germany’s support for defence and humanitarian efforts.
Johnson says UK willing to take refugees from Ukraine 'in considerable numbers'
And here are the main points from Boris Johnson’s press briefing in Poland. He and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, addressed reporters, but they did not take questions.
- Johnson said the UK would be willing to take refugees from Ukraine “in considerable numbers”. After praising the Poles for what they were doing in taking in “people fleeing in fear of their lives from Ukraine”, Johnson said:
We in the UK stand ready to help you. We have humanitarian supplies, as you know, already coming in. I think two planes of medical supplies have already landed. there’s more to come.
And we stand ready, clearly, to take Ukrainian refugees in our own country, working with you, in considerable numbers, as we always have done, and always will.
It was not clear whether Johnson was referring to any government plan to further ease the current restrictions on Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK, or if he was just putting a positive spin on the relatively minor tweaks to policy announced (amid some confusion) on Sunday night. Yesterday Priti Patel, the home secretary, claimed that those changes would allow an extra 100,000 Ukrainians to come to the UK.
- Johnson said Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, was using “barbaric and indiscriminate tactics against innocent civilians” in Ukraine. He said:
It is clear that Vladimir Putin is prepared to use barbaric and indiscriminate tactics against innocent civilians, to bomb tower blocks, to send missiles into tower blocks, to kill children, as we’re seeing in increasing numbers.
- Johnson said Putin has underestimated the opposition he would face, both within Ukraine and internationally. He said:
In this grim war, which is now in its sixth day, [Putin] has fatally underestimated two things.
The first is the passionate desire of the Ukrainian people to defend and protect their own country, their belief in their sovereign right to defend themselves. And may I pay tribute, by the way, to the leadership and courage that is being shown by Volodymyr Zelenskiy. I think he has inspired and mobilised not only his own people, he is inspiring, and mobilising the world in outrage at what is happening in in Ukraine.
And I think that Vladimir Putin has also underestimated the unity and a resolve of the west and the rest of the world.
- Johnson said he was “more convinced than ever” that Putin would fail. He said:
One way or another, I am more convinced than ever, as this hideous conflict progresses, that Putin will fail - and I believe that Putin must fail - and that we will succeed in protecting and preserving a sovereign, independent and democratic Ukraine. That is our joint objective.
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Johnson says he is 'more convinced than ever' Putin will fail
Boris Johnson has been speaking at a press conference in Poland alongside Mateusz Morawiecki.
He said Vladimir Putin had underestimated two things: the desire of the Ukrainian people to defend their country, and the unity of the rest of the world in opposing Russia.
He also said he was “more convinced than ever” that Putin would fail.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, told Sky News this morning he did not agree with Liz Truss in saying she would back Britons wanting to travel to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russians. “I think there are better ways for Britain to help the Ukrainians resist this Russian invasion,” he said, echoing Downing Street, who also implicitly criticised Truss over this yesterday.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, has accused the government of trying to just “tweak” the existing visa rules for Ukrainians, instead of introducing a proper, new channel for people fleeing the war and wanting to come to the UK. She told the Today programme:
At the moment, what the Home Office is doing is trying to just tweak the existing system. They’re trying to carry on with a version of business as usual, with a version of asking people to apply for traditional work visas or traditional visitor visas or traditional family visas that are still narrowly drawn.
And the normal system just doesn’t work when you are facing war in Europe, when you’re facing a crisis on this scale.
We need to be fast and flexible - that is what other countries have done in different ways and that is what we can do as well, what we have always done in the past, and I think it’s what people across the country want to do.
We may well get an urgent question on immigration rules for Ukrainians later. Yesterday Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, made it clear that he was angry with Priti Patel, the home secretary, for announcing changes to the rules in the final minutes of Home Office questions (during the topical questions slot) rather than in a separate statement, where she would have to answer questions on the new rules for an hour. He encouraged MPs to table a UQ so that proper questioning could take place.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has this morning thanked the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their support for his country.
Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2022
Three days ago the royal couple posted this on Twitter.
In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) February 26, 2022
Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C
Raab says EU's entry rules for Ukrainian refugees more generous than UK's because 'they're closer to Ukraine'
And here is a summary of the other points from Dominic Raab’s interviews this morning.
- Raab, the justice secretary and deputy PM, defended the UK’s decision not to match the EU’s more generous visa policy for Ukrainian refugees on the grounds “they’re closer to Ukraine”. He was asked about this by Sky’s Mark Austin, who was presenting from Kyiv. Austin asked why the UK was not following the EU, which intends to let Ukrainians fleeing the war stay for up to three years. In reply, Raab said:
In relation to the Europeans, of course they’re closer to Ukraine. And, as the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK said over the weekend, it will often be the case that, first priority, most Ukrainians want to stay in Ukraine, but if they leave, they will want to be as close to their home country as possible in order to be able to come back at some point in the future.
Raab also claimed that the UK had a good record of offering sanctuary to refugees. But when Austin asked why the current Home Office rules would not allow a 75-year-old woman in Ukraine join her son living in London, Raab initially said he could not comment on every “hypothetical case” (even though Austin said it was a real one).
- Raab claimed Russian forces were “demoralised”. He said:
This is turning into a much, much more perilous misadventure for Putin than I think he realised and it has a demoralised effect on Russia forces and it has had the effect of steeling the will of the Ukrainian people.
That’s how we will ensure Putin fails in Ukraine and we’re there for the long haul.
- He did not rule out the UK supplying Ukraine with fighter jets. Asked if this would happen, he told LBC:
I can’t comment on that. We’ve been clear that we’ve provided training, we’ve provided anti-tank weapons and all I would say is nothing is off the table.
- He confirmed that the UK was opposed to imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He told the Today programme that this had been considered, but that the international community had ruled it out. It would mean “putting UK forces in a position where they will be directly required to shoot down Russian planes”, he said. He said Ukraine was not in Nato, and imposing a no-fly zone would “feed [Vladimir] Putin’s narrative” that Nato was the aggressor against Russia.
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He claimed that sanctions would put pressure on Putin. He said:
That will starve Putin’s war machine and will also put pressure on many of the oligarchs who need access to the international system and who will apply pressure on Putin.
I think it also shows the Russian people at large - and we’re certainly not targeting them - but it’s inevitable that Russia’s and Putin’s misadventure, his catastrophic decision, will be disastrous for the Russian people. It will show them the economic cost to them of getting bogged down in this unwarranted, unjustifiable war.
Boris Johnson’s flight has arrived at Warsaw Chopin airport, PA Media reports. The prime minister was met by James Hughes, minister-counsellor and acting deputy head of mission at the British embassy in Poland’s capital. Johnson was then taken by motorcade to meet the Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Raab warns Russian commanders they risk jail if they commit war crimes in Ukraine
Good morning. The Ministry of Defence has posted its latest update on the fighting in Ukraine and it says the Russian advance on Kyiv has made little progress.
Latest Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/1Ynzlps2dY
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 1, 2022
But, as we report on our Ukraine crisis live blog, a huge Russian convoy is heading for the capital. The blog, which includes striking pictures, is here.
Dominic Raab, the justice secretary and deputy PM, was on interview duty for the government this morning and (appropriately for former human rights lawyer) he warned Russian military commanders that, if they were responsible for war crimes (as has been alleged), they would face prosecution at the International Criminal Court once the war was over. He told Times Radio:
The ICC prosecutor in The Hague has already said that he is looking at this. And the UK in whatever form is necessary will play its role, as we have done over many years since right way back to Nuremberg, to make sure that anyone committing these egregious crimes will be held to account.
We have shown that recently, Radovan Karadzic, the butcher of the Balkans, has ended up in a British cell, via the Hague for his actions.
Therefore the seed of doubt must be laid, not just in Putin’s mind, but anyone following these reckless orders and engaged in these reckless attacks on civilians, that they could end up in the dock of a court and they could end up spending the rest of their days behind bars.
I will post more from his interviews shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, and Captain Dmytro Donskoi, the Ukrainian defence attaché, give evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee; at 10.30am Atis Pabriks, the Latvian deputy PM and defence minister, and Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister, give evidence.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
After 12.30pm: MPs debate two Russian sanctions measures.
2pm: Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, gives evidence to the public administration and constitutional affairs committee on constitutional matters.
2.30pm: George Eustice, the environment secretary, gives evidence to the Commons environment committee on post-Brexit food checks.
Also, Boris Johnson is today visiting Poland, where he will make a speech this morning and hold a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki. After that he is flying to Estonia, where he will mee the prime minister, Kaja Kallas, and the president, Alar Karis, as well as visiting British troops alongside the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.
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