PM warns Putin of sanctions if ‘Russian toecap’ enters Ukraine

RUSSIA HAS been warned by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Britain will hit Moscow with sanctions the “moment the first Russian toecap” crosses into Ukrainian territory.

During a diplomatic mission to Kyiv, Mr Johnson accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of effectively “holding a gun ... to the head of Ukraine” as he told the Kremlin to step back from a “military disaster”.

The Prime Minister warned of a “clear and present danger” presented by the massing of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops on its border with Ukraine, which he described as possibly the greatest act of hostility “towards the Ukraine in our lifetimes”.

At a joint press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in the Mariinskyi presidential palace, Mr Johnson said: “We are also preparing a package of sanctions and other measures to be enacted the moment the first Russian toecap crosses further into Ukrainian territory.

“We have done all this and prepared all this not as a show of hostility towards Russia, but as a demonstration that we will always stand up for freedom and democracy and Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of aggression. It is vital that Russia steps back and chooses a path of diplomacy, and I believe that is still possible.

“We are keen to engage in dialogue, of course we are, but we have the sanctions ready, we’re providing military support and we will also intensify our economic co-operation.”

Despite stressing his eagerness to engage in dialogue with Mr Putin, Downing Street was forced to reschedule a call between the men on Monday as the Prime Minister battled allegations threatening his leadership over alleged lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson insisted his focus is “entirely” on the British public’s priorities and the security of allies, as he warned Ukraine will put up a “very, very fierce” resistance.

Mr Johnson said a call with Mr Putin had now been rescheduled for today, during which it is expected he will again ask for a dialling down of aggression.

“Be in no doubt about what president Putin is trying to achieve, I think that he’s trying by holding a gun, as it were, to the head of Ukraine to get us to change the way we look at something that was absolutely fantastic,” Mr Johnson said, referring to the independence of nations after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“President Putin and Russia is trying to undermine those immense gains.”

Mr Johnson, who travelled on a chartered plane from Stansted with staff and a small pool of journalists yesterday, last spoke to the Russian leader in December.

Mr Zelensky said “preventative sanctions” against Russia could prevent further escalation of tensions, when the prospect of Mr Putin being hit with sanctions personally was raised.

“If you’re asking me, I would say that they would work if they are introduced prior to escalation,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Tensions have risen in the region after Russia demanded guarantees that Nato will never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members.

It also wants Nato to roll back troop deployments in other former Soviet bloc countries, such as the Baltic states. Ironically, Nato has bolstered defences as the Russian threat has increased in the East.

We will always stand up for freedom and democracy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking in the Ukraine yesterday.