Boris Johnson has delivered a chilling warning that Vladimir Putin is about to spark ‘the biggest war in Europe since 1945’ – saying in many ways the invasion of Ukraine has already begun.
In a grim update, the PM said intelligence suggests Russia intends to use forces massed on the border to launch an attack coming down from Belarus to encircle the 2.8million citizens of Kiev.
Speaking to the BBC after the Munich Security Conference, he said: ‘The plan that we’re seeing is for something that could be the biggest war in Europe since 1945 just in terms of sheer scale.’
Mirroring an alert issued by US President Joe Biden, Mr Johnson said that ‘all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun’ and people needed to understand ‘the sheer cost in human life’ it could entail, both for Ukrainians and Russians.
The premier also upped the ante on sanctions, saying the UK and the US will hit Russian companies ‘very hard’ by stopping them ‘trading in pounds and dollars’.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss argued that an assault on Ukraine might only be a precursor to Russia annexing more former Soviet states.
‘We need to stop Putin because he will not stop at Ukraine,’ she told the Mail on Sunday.
Europe minister James Cleverly told Sky News that the UK is still ‘trying very hard’ to avert an invasion, but it appeared ‘highly likely’ and ‘very imminent’.
Secret discussions are also reportedly under way between Western allies on how to arm a Ukrainian resistance if there is a Russian occupation.
Boris Johnson said intelligence suggests Russia intends to launch an attack coming down from Belarus to encircle Ukraine’s capital Kiev. Pictured: The Prime Minister meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kiev on February 19
Mr Johnson also said that people needed to understand ‘the sheer cost in human life’ that such an invasion could ‘entail’, both for Ukrainians and Russians. Pictured: Russian president Vladimir Putin
A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the Munich Security Conference that an invasion of Ukraine by Russia would bring about the ‘destruction of a democratic state’, as he called for unity among the West in reacting to any attack
Ukrainian civilians are trained by the armed forces to join a new military branch: the Territorial Defense Force in a training ground in Dnipro on Saturday
Citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic are seen at a railway station in Debaltsevo during a mass evacuation to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region
As tension escalated in east Ukraine on Friday, the leaders of the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic announced a mass evacuation of civilians to Russia
Volunteers are seen at a mobilisation station as tension escalated in east Ukraine on Saturday when a mass evacuation of civilians to Russia was announced
Ms Truss said Mr Putin’s ambitions were not limited to taking control of Ukraine and the West must ‘stand up to’ him.
‘He’s been very clear – his ambition doesn’t just lead to him taking control of Ukraine, he wants to turn the clock back to the mid 1990s or even before then,’ she said.
‘The Baltic States are at risk… the Western Balkans as well.
‘Putin has said all this publicly, that he wants to create the Greater Russia, that he wants to go back to the situation as it was before where Russia had control over huge swathes of Eastern Europe.
‘So it’s so important that we and our allies stand up to Putin. It could be Ukraine next week but then which country will it be next?’
The PM said that aggression in separatist-held areas in the east of Ukraine had the potential be a ‘prelude to bigger action’, with the West fearing a so-called ‘false flag’ operation that could give Moscow cover to wage war on Kiev.
Mr Johnson made the comments to broadcasters following his speech to the Munich Security Conference, where he is meeting world leaders to discuss the tension in eastern Europe.
Speaking at the summit yesterday, Mr Johnson said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’.
While in Munich, Mr Johnson held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – to whom he offered the UK’s ‘unequivocal support’ – and has met German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of Latvia and Estonia.
Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mr Johnson said: ‘If Ukraine is invaded and if Ukraine is overwhelmed, we will witness the destruction of a democratic state, a country that has been free for a generation, with a proud history of elections.
Mr Boris jetted to the annual conference in Bavaria to make a plea to avoid ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ by diplomatic means if the West speaks with ‘one voice’.
Volunteers are seen at a mobilisation station in east Ukraine on Saturday after a mass evacuation of civilians to Russia was announced as tensions escalate
Johnson used the summit to address the rising tensions over a potential war breaking out with a Russian invasion of Ukraine
While in Munich, Mr Johnson has met with new German chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured together) and the leaders of Latvia and Estonia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose for media prior to their meeting
Police officers stand guard at a railway station as citizens of the Lugansk People’s Republic board a Russia-bound train during a mass evacuation from Lugansk, east Ukraine
Citizens of the Lugansk People’s Republic arrive to a railway station to board a Russia-bound train during mass evacuation from Lugansk, east Ukraine. The train is the first to depart for Russia from the Lugansk People’s Republic since 2014
Ukrainian civilians are trained by the armed forces to join a new military branch: the Territorial Defense Force in a training ground in Dnipro on Saturday
Ukrainian male civilians were seen wearing camouflage gear and firing guns as they were trained by the armed forces to join a new military branch: the Territorial Defense Force in a training ground in Dnipro on Saturday
The formation of the Territorial Defense Force is to harness well-trained civilian reservists around the country, led by professional soldiers, to help combat Russia’s possible invasion
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference today, the Prime Minister said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’
In a video posted on social media, the Mr Johnson said: ‘Unity is absolutely vital if we are going to deter what I think would be an absolutely catastrophic act of aggression by Vladimir Putin’
‘And every time Western ministers have visited Kiev, we have reassured the people of Ukraine and their leaders that we stand four-square behind their sovereignty and independence.
‘How hollow, how meaningless, how insulting those words would seem if at the very moment when their sovereignty and independence is imperilled we simply look away.
‘If Ukraine is invaded, the shock will echo around the world, and those echoes will be heard in East Asia they will be heard in Taiwan.
Speaking about Ukraine tensions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia.
He added: ‘We should not underestimate the gravity of this moment and what is at stake.
‘As I speak to you today, we do not fully know what President Putin intends, but the omens are grim and that is why we must stand strong together.
Mr Johnson was joined in Munich by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who met with counterparts including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Speaking at the summit, Ms Truss said Uraine could face the worst-case scenario of a Russian invasion as soon as next week, and that Europe was facing one of its most perilous security situations since the early 20th century.
‘The reality is that Russia does want to turn the clock back,’ said Truss.
‘In the last week alone, we’ve seen a doubling of disinformation, and we’ve seen false flag operations in the Donbass region. I’m afraid that Russia has shown that they are not serious about diplomacy.’
Ukrainian civilians are trained by the armed forces to join a new military branch: the Territorial Defense Force in a training ground in Dnipro on Saturday
Volunteers receive uniform at a military compound of the people’s police of the Lugansk People’s Republic as tensions escalate in east Ukraine
Citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic are seen at a railway station in Debaltsevo during a mass evacuation to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region
Citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic are seen outside a train at a railway station in Debaltsevo during a mass evacuation to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region
The Prime Minister has arrived at the Munich Security Conference where he will make a plea for ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ to be avoided by pursuing a diplomatic route to prevent a conflict in eastern Europe
Boris Johnson met with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian President Egils Levits during the summit
Before his arrival at the security conference in Germany, Mr Johnson posted a video on social media from his plane in which he said: ‘Unity is absolutely vital if we are going to deter what I think would be an absolutely catastrophic act of aggression by Vladimir Putin.
‘My message today is that there is still time to avert a disaster, that diplomacy will prevail.’
It is Mr Johnson’s third trip to Europe this month to meet allies to discuss the situation in Ukraine, having met NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and Poland’s leaders last week.
He also held a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 1, where Mr Johnson said: ‘A further Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a political disaster, a humanitarian disaster, and in my view it would also be for Russia and the world a military disaster.’
Whitehall figures are now said to be convinced Vladimir Putin is planning to order Russian forces to attack.
Melinda Simmons, the British ambassador to Ukraine, has said she hopes to be working in the Ukrainian capital again ‘as soon as possible’ after it was announced the UK’s embassy was being ‘temporarily’ relocated to the west of the country, near the border of Poland.
World leaders are convening in Bavaria as fears grow that instability in Russian separatist-held areas of Ukraine could spark an invasion by Moscow forces.
The annual summit comes against a backdrop of President Joe Biden warning that the US has reason to believe Russian forces ‘intend to attack’ Ukraine in the coming days, including targeting the capital Kiev.
Mr Biden told a White House press briefing on Friday he was ‘convinced’ Mr Putin had ‘made the decision’ to move his military across the border, having spent weeks saying he thought the Russian leader was undecided.
Mr Johnson was joined in Munich by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who met with counterparts including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Speaking at the summit, Ms Truss said that Russia actions in the last week showed that they ‘were not serious about diplomacy’
World leaders are convening in Bavaria as fears grow that instability in Russian separatist-held areas of Ukraine could spark an invasion by Moscow forces. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also at the summit, pictured here with other foreign ministers
The annual summit comes against a backdrop of President Joe Biden warning that the US has reason to believe Russian forces ‘intend to attack’ Ukraine in the coming days, including targeting the capital Kiev – a city with a population of 2.8 million people
Volunteers receive uniform at a military compound of the people’s police of the Lugansk People’s Republic on Saturday
A police officer stands guard at a railway station as citizens of the Lugansk People’s Republic board a Russia-bound train during a mass evauation from Lugansk, east Ukraine
Volunteers receive uniform at a military compound of the people’s police of the Lugansk People’s Republic on Saturday
A Ukrainian serviceman points to the direction of the incoming shelling next to a building which was hit by a large caliber mortar shell in the frontline village of Krymske, Luhansk region, in eastern Ukraine
Volunteers receive uniform at a military compound of the people’s police of the Lugansk People’s Republic as tension escalated in east Ukraine this weekend
Only hours before his statement, the UK Foreign Office announced it had decided to ‘temporarily’ move its diplomats out of Kiev, relocating them to the west of the country.
The department said British embassy officials will relocate to Lviv, situated near the border with Poland.
With estimates that 150,000 Russian troops are posted around Ukraine’s borders, Mr Johnson has previously called the situation ‘very grim’.
But in comments made before embarking on his trip to Germany, the Prime Minister said ‘diplomacy can still prevail’ if the West puts on a united front in terms of agreeing punishing sanctions to slap on Moscow.
‘There is still a chance to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but it will require an overwhelming display of western solidarity beyond anything we have seen in recent history,’ he said.
‘Allies need to speak with one voice to stress to President Putin the high price he will pay for any further Russian invasion of Ukraine.
‘Diplomacy can still prevail.
‘That is the message I will take to Munich today as we redouble our efforts to prevent a grave miscalculation which would devastate Ukraine, Russia and the rest of Europe.’
The Bavarian summit will take place against the backdrop of Mr Putin continuing to parade Russia’s military might. Pictured: Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko oversee joint military drills from the situation room in the Kremlin
Tank army units loaded onto a troop train return from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites
The Bavarian summit will take place against the backdrop of Mr Putin continuing to parade Russia’s military might.
Vladimir Putin yesterday personally oversaw a series of the nuclear as he sends a MIG armed with a hypersonic missile over the Mediterranean amid increasing fears of an imminent invasion of Ukraine.
Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko joined Putin in the Kremlin’s situation to watch over the strategic drills on screens.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said drills ‘should not cause anyone concern’ and said Russia had informed the proper channels.
Russia holds huge strategic drills every year but the latest manoeuvres include the Black Sea Fleet, based on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
The Russian leader has insisted that the large-scale military exercises with Belarusian forces close to the Ukrainian border are ‘purely defensive’ and do not represent a threat to any other country.
There are concerns among western allies that the Kremlin could use ‘disinformation’ and a possible ‘false flag’ operation to justify an offensive, particularly with growing activity in separatist-held areas of Ukraine.
Mr Biden said claims by Russian separatists that Ukraine is planning to launch an offensive into the battle-torn Donbas region ‘defies basic logic’, given the country is currently surrounded by foreign troops.
The annual summit comes against a backdrop of President Joe Biden warning that the US has reason to believe Russian forces ‘intend to attack’ Ukraine in the coming days, including targeting the capital Kiev – a city with a population of 2.8 million people. Pictured: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the conference today
The US leader also said suggestions made in the Russian state media that a genocide is taking place in the Donbas were ‘phoney’.
Tensions in separatist areas have increased with reports of separate explosions in recent days.
Two explosions shook the rebel-controlled city of Luhansk early on Saturday, while another was reported to have occurred in the centre of the city of Donetsk on Friday.
The Luhansk Information Centre said one of the blasts was in a natural gas main and cited witnesses as saying the other was at a vehicle service station.
There was no immediate word on injuries or a cause.
Luhansk officials blamed a gas main explosion earlier in the week on sabotage.
The conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the separatists erupted in 2014 following the ousting of the pro-Moscow government in Kiev and has killed more than 14,000 people.
