Sajid Javid has said the “invasion of Ukraine has begun” after the Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered troops over the border in a dramatic escalation of tensions.
The cabinet minister said the west was “waking up to a very dark day” after the Kremlin recognised parts of eastern Ukraine as independent entities, sending Russian forces into the sovereign country.
Mr Javid’s labelling as the actions as an “invasion” comes as Boris Johnson holds an emergency Cobra meeting on the latest developments in the Eastern European country on Tuesday morning.
The meeting – alongside senior UK ministers – began at 6.30am and the prime minister is expected to deliver a statement to Parliament shortly afterwards, Mr Javid added.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “We are waking up to a very dark day in Europe and it’s clear from what we have already seen and found out today that the Russians, president Putin, has decided to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity.”
“We have seen that he has recognised these breakaway eastern regions in Ukraine and from the reports we can already tell that he has sent in tanks and troops.
“From that you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.”
Speaking on Monday evening, Mr Johnson accused the Russian president of “plainly” breaking international law by recognising two breakaway pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.
“I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign,” the prime minister said. “It’s yet another indication that things are moving in the wrong direction.”
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, also said she would be setting out sanction measures “in response to their breach of international law” – saying Mr Putin’s move would not go “unpunished”.
No 10 said last night the Cobra meeting would be used to “coordinate the UK response including agreeing a significant package of sanctions to be introduced immediately.”
Last night at an emergency session of the UN Security Council, the UK's ambassador Dame Barbara Woodward said Russia has “brought us to the brink”, warning that the country's actions "will have severe and far-reaching consequences".
She said an invasion would unleash “the forces of war, death and destruction” on the people of Ukraine.
“The humanitarian impact will be terrible on civilians fleeing the fighting. We know that women and children will suffer most.”
She said the security council must be united in calling on Russia to "de-escalate immediately", as well as "condemning aggression against a sovereign nation and defending the territorial integrity of Ukraine".
"Russia has brought us to the brink," she said. "We urge Russia to step back."
