Boris Johnson has completely ruled out sending British forces to confront Russia in air or land combat in Ukraine.
Visiting allies in Poland and Estonia, the Prime Minister urged Putin to “turn back the tanks” on the road to Kiev but insisted that UK forces would not become directly involved in the unfolding conflict.
Speaking at the Tapa military base in Estonia where 1,000 British troops are deployed, Johnson stressed that the Nato reinforcements are there for a defensive purpose.
Johnson said Nato “will not fight Russian forces in Ukraine”, as he once again rejected calls for the Western alliance to impose a no-fly zone.
The Prime Minister said the move was “not on the agenda” as it would involve “shooting down Russian planes”.
The Prime Minister also made clear that the UK Government is not encouraging Britons to take up arms against Russia in Ukraine.
Johnson played down the prospect of Russia being thrown off the UN Security Council because the rules could not be changed without Moscow’s agreement due to its veto.
But he added: “What is happening is that the great middle of the UN congregation is starting to realise quite how horrific this is."
“With every day that goes by, as they watch the heroism of the Ukrainian resistance and they see what’s happening in Ukraine and they see episodes like the missile in Kharkiv and the destruction of civilian populations, I think people’s stomachs are being turned by what is happening.
“They are seeing that it is necessary to stand up against Russian aggression, to support the Ukrainians and to endorse our strategy which is that President Putin must not be allowed to succeed, he must fail in Ukraine.”
Johnson said the scenes in Kharkiv were “absolutely sickening” and compared the situation to some of the attacks on Sarajevo in the Bosnian war.
He said: “It has that feel to me of an atrocity committed deliberately against a civilian centre.”
In other developments:
- Priti Patel extended Britain’s offer of help for Ukrainian refugees after being was blasted for not doing enough. Alistair Carmichael MP 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.”
- Labour MP Chris Bryant said in the Commons he thought Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was selling up in the UK quickly in the hope of avoiding sanctions.
- Kyiv’s TV tower exploded after a Russian attack and the reverberations of the blast said to be heard for miles around.
- A host of UK bars and hospitality firms have stopped the sale of Russian vodka due to the continuing invasion of Ukraine.
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