Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the Government is not actively supporting British volunteers who want to join the fight against Russia in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls for British forces to actively join the effort, warning it would trigger a wider war with Russia.
HullLive reports Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said over the weekend that she would "absolutely" support British nationals who chose to join the fight, with a number of Britons keen to fight against Vladimir Putin.
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But that advice runs contrary to the Foreign Office advice against all travel to Ukraine, and Mr Johnson became the latest Cabinet minister to warn Britons away.
With the invasion of Ukraine in its sixth day, Mr Johnson visited Nato members Poland and Estonia to shore up support for the defence alliance.
However, he ruled out British forces fighting in Ukraine, as he faced impassioned calls for a no-fly zone to be imposed to protect civilians as a major assault on Kyiv was feared to be nearing.
A journalist in Estonia suggested that the UK Government was supporting volunteers in their endeavours, but the Prime Minister replied: "I'm going to be very clear about this because you're not quite right in what you say about supporting volunteers going to fight, the UK is not actively doing such a thing.
"But I understand of course the feelings of people who feel emotionally engaged in this conflict because I cannot think of a time in international affairs when the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, has been so obvious.
"I can understand why people feel as they do but we have laws in our country about international conflicts and how they must be conducted. Nato is a defensive alliance.
"I think for any Nato member to get involved actively in conflict with Russia is a huge step which is not being contemplated by any member."
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned that a vast column of “heavy Russian armour” moving towards Kyiv would bring “more death, more suffering and more civilian casualties”, as he stressed the need for heavy sanctions.
Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas said troops from Kremlin-ally Belarus had entered Ukraine, adding: “There’s no doubt Belarus is a co-aggressor in this conflict.”
In an earlier visit to Warsaw, Poland, a Ukrainian journalist who fled over the border made an impassioned plea for Mr Johnson to assist with a no-fly zone.
Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre civil society organisation, said: “Nato is not willing to defend because Nato is afraid of World War Three, but it’s already started and it’s Ukrainian children who are there taking the hit.”
Mr Johnson apologised as he ruled out the move, having blamed Mr Putin’s regime for “barbaric and indiscriminate” violence against Ukrainian citizens.
Meanwhile, there was a mass walkout of diplomats from the UN Human Rights Council when a speech from Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov began.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Mr Lavrov’s statement was “full of disinformation” and did not deserve the attention of other members.
“Russia is isolated and should be ashamed to sit in the UN chamber,” she said.
During her own speech to the Geneva meeting, Ms Truss 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.”
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