Ukraine not alone in fight against Russia, says Boris Johnsonon March 24, 2022 at 6:38 pm

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Boris Johnson warns if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine the consequences will be “catastrophic for him”.

Boris Johnson

Image source, EPA

Ukraine is “not alone” in its fight against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

He said the UK would “not stand by” while Vladimir Putin “vents his fury on Ukraine” and would work to “ramp up” defensive weaponry to the country.

Speaking in Brussels, he warned that, if the Russian president used chemical weapons in Ukraine, the consequences would be “catastrophic for him”.

Earlier, the UK announced sanctions on 65 more Russian groups and individuals.

Leaders from Nato, the EU, and the G7 have been holding emergency meetings in Brussels to discuss Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference following the Nato summit, Mr Johnson defended the level of the UK’s support for Ukraine, repeating that the government planned to send 6,000 more missiles to the country as well as an additional £25m in aid to help Ukraine pay the salaries of its armed forces.

The PM said kit would be provided “in the quantity and with the quality” needed by Ukraine to defend against “its bullying neighbour”.

Mr Johnson also promised a “new deployment of UK troops to Bulgaria, on top of doubling our troops both in Poland and in Estonia”.

It follows Nato’s earlier announcement that new battle groups would be created in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.

The prime minister said Western nations were looking to “steadily ratchet up” the amount of military gear they are sending Ukraine, but that it was proving difficult to meet a request by President Volodymyr Zelensky to supply tanks and warplanes.

“What President Zelensky wants is to try to relieve Mariupol and to help the thousands of Ukrainian fighters in the city. To that end he does need armour, as he sees it,” he said.

“We are looking at what we can do to help. But logistically it looks very difficult both with armour and with jets.”

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