Brits have been "firmly advised" not to travel to Ukraine to fight against Vladimir Putin's troops after Liz Truss' remarks on live TV sparked domestic tensions and with the Kremlin.
The Foreign Secretary yesterday said she'd support people who decide to flock to the eastern European state to help Ukrainians fight for freedom and democracy.
Ms Truss was responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's promise to arm foreign volunteers who to travel to his country to battle Putin’s forces.
Last night, No 10 sources were taken by surprise by Ms Truss' remarks and distanced themselves from it.
Boris Johnson's spokesman has today said: “We fully recognise the strength of feeling in British people wanting to support Ukrainians," but pointed to Foreign Office advice adding: "We firmly advise against travel to Ukraine".
Tory MPs lined up this morning urging Brits to find other ways to help Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion than volunteering to fight Putin's troops.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today insisted Brits should not to travel to fight as he did not "want to see British people killed any more than I want to see Ukrainians" dying.
But Mr Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, has said there are "better ways" for Brits to help Ukrainians.
"If you're keen to help and you're a United Kingdom citizen, come and join our armed forces," he told Sky News.
"Look, there are people who will go... I think what I would say is unless you are properly trained, unless you are a, you know, experienced member of an armed forces, I think there are better ways for you to contribute to the security of Ukraine."
Former Cabinet minister Robert Buckland warned "turning up there with good intentions" and seeking to get involved without any legal authority "could worsen" the situation, speaking to the BBC last night.
Senior Tory MP and chair of the Commons Select Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood told the BBC's Politics Live show: "I think she was slightly caught off guard as you saw in the conversation.
"My real concern is that 18 year olds can see this, think they're doing a good thing, think they're well intentioned.
"Please do not go to Ukraine unless you have some form of combat experience."
Senior Labour MP Clive Lewis added: "I get why people would want to go and defend the country. but having untrained people going to a country where they can't even read the road signs, they're a liability.
"I do think Liz Truss needs to focus on the job she's meant to be doing, rather than talking tough as she seems to consistently be doing, auditioning for the role of Prime Minister."
Kremlin's propaganda machine claimed Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on special alert because of Ms Truss' comments.
Putin's press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "There were unacceptable statements about possible conflict situations and even confrontations and clashes between Nato and Russia.
"I will not name the authors of these statements, although it as the British foreign secretary."
Armed forces minister James Heappey refused to echo Ms Truss' support for Brits fighting in Ukraine, as people need to have "their eyes wide open to what war is".
"I think that the travel advice is that UK nationals should not travel to Ukraine.
"But if people are filled with a desire to stand up for freedom, like generations of young people before them, they would be very, very welcome at their nearest Army, Navy, Air Force recruiting office.
"The people that you see doing that in Kyiv are doing it because they are facing an existential threat, out of absolute desperation."
Mr Zelensky's call for an international legion carried echoes of the International Brigades that fought against the fascists - backed by Nazi Germany - in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.
Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba promised to create an International Legion
"Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries.
"Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too."
