‘Putin’s made a colossal mistake’ Boris speaks out on Ukraine invasion as he heads east
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The Prime Minister, who on Tuesday flies to Poland and Estonia for more talks with Nato allies in Eastern Europe, yesterday said the Russian President had expected his troops and tanks to be “garlanded with roses” in a welcome from a pro-Russian population. Instead his forces had been confronted by defiant Ukrainian soldiers and civilians determined to defend their homeland.
As Mr Johnson continued his diplomatic efforts to rally Western allies behind Ukraine yesterday, ministers announced that sanctions on Russia banks and oligarchs are “ratcheting up.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister said it is becoming clearer with each day that Putin had made a colossal mistake believing that the guns of his tanks would be garlanded with roses when instead the Ukrainian people had put up a fierce resistance in defence of their homeland.
“He said latest intelligence suggested Putin’s advances had been hampered by logistical problems and the heroic efforts of the Ukrainian military who are inflicting significant casualties on Russian troops.”
The spokesman added that Putin had “had also underestimated Western unity and the strength of the sanctions his action could lead to.”
The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister said Putin must fail in his attempts to subjugate Ukraine and the UK would continue its efforts in three main areas to achieve this: economically, diplomatically and militarily.”
In a phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday, the Prime Minister promised to step up exports of defensive military equipment to the beleaguered country.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “President Zelensky asks for specific bits of kit or equipment and, whenever feasible, we are seeking to deliver it. And, as I say, we are almost up to daily deliveries now across the border.”
In a phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday, the Prime Minister promised to step up exports of defensive military equipment to the beleaguered country.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “President Zelensky asks for specific bits of kit or equipment and, whenever feasible, we are seeking to deliver it. And, as I say, we are almost up to daily deliveries now across the border.”
Boris Johnson: Putin is waging a war of choice
Security sources said the slowing progress of Russian forces and failure to capture cities yesterday showed the Kremlin regime may well have bungled their invasion plans.
One Western source said: “We believe that Russia may have miscalculated and underestimated the strength of the military opposition, which it’s clearly facing in Ukraine at the moment.
“Really, they’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest and they’ve also underestimated the capacity of the Ukrainians to fight.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will travel on Tuesday to a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to urge countries around the world to join the allied drive to isolate Russia.
In her statement to the council she is expected to say: “Putin is violating international law, including the UN Charter. He is violating human rights on an industrial scale and the world will not stand for it.
“There are no shades of grey to this conflict. It is about right and wrong. This is Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war, against a sovereign nation. There can be no apologising or excusing it.
“I urge nations to condemn Russia’s appalling actions, and to isolate it on the international stage.”
Ms Truss yesterday told MPs the Government was laying fresh legislation in Parliament to trigger sanctions to ban Russian banks from access to UK capital markets and block high-tech exports to Russia. She warned the Commons that Putin’s war could last for years and she told Ukrainians “we are prepared to suffer economic sacrifices to support you”.
Ms Truss said: “Putin must lose and we will carry on increasing the pressure until he does.
“We have all seen Ukraine’s determination to fight. Putin’s war could end up lasting for months and years. So, I say to our Ukrainian friends: we are with you.
“In Britain and around the world we are prepared to suffer economic sacrifices to support you. However long it takes, we will not rest until Ukraine’s sovereignty is restored.”
Ms Truss said the UK will “keep ratcheting up our response” to Russia.
She said in the Commons that new legislation “will prevent the Russian state from raising debt here. And it will isolate all Russian companies – that’s over three million businesses – from accessing UK capital markets”.
She said a second piece of legislation “will ban exports to Russia across a range of critical sectors. This includes high-end technological equipment” including marine and navigation equipment which “will blunt Russia’s military industrial capabilities and act as a drag on Russia’s economy for years to come.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak also highlighted the Government’s determination to join with the US and other allies in hitting Putin’s regime with crippling economic sanctions.
“Today, we’ve taken more decisive action to target the Russian economy, working together with the United States and European Union we are cutting off the Russian central bank from the global financial system, and that’s already having an impact.
“The Russian currency is down by almost a third, Russia’s had to double its interest rates by 20 percent, and the Russian stock market has seen its biggest fall on record.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be meeting with finance ministers from across the G7 and pressing them to go further and faster.
“But these are already unprecedented and incredibly severe economic sanctions designed to undermine the Putin regime,” the Chancellor said.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told MPs yesterday said the Government will be introducing legislation to Parliament today to “accelerate other measures, which will make an immediate, dissuasive effect on dirty money and its purveyors from Russia and elsewhere”.
He said: “The Bill we will introduce tomorrow will create a register of overseas entities to crack down on foreign criminals using UK property to launder their money.
“The new register will require anonymous foreign owners to reveal their real identity to ensure that criminals can no longer hold property behind secretive chains of shell companies.
“By legislating now we will send a clear warning to those who have or who are thinking about using the UK property market to launder ill-gotten gains, particularly those linked to the Putin regime.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday wrote to all UK ports to ask they deny access to Russian flagged, registered or operated vessels.
In his letter to all UK ports, Mr Shapps said the maritime sector “must play our part” in sanctioning Russia over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He wrote: “Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday wrote to all UK ports to ask they deny access to Russian flagged, registered or operated vessels.
In his letter to all UK ports, Mr Shapps said the maritime sector “must play our part” in sanctioning Russia over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He wrote: “Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state.
“The UK Government has been clear there would be massive consequences and a severe cost for any Russian military incursion into Ukraine, and, in co-ordination with our international allies and partners, we are developing an unprecedented package of further sanctions.”
Ahead of his trip to Eastern Europe, the Prime Minister said: “Today I will visit Poland and Estonia, two countries that are acutely affected by the current crisis in Ukraine.
“We have shared values that are more important than ever to protect, as the humanitarian situation gets worse.
“Alongside all our international allies the UK will continue to bring maximum pressure to bear on Putin’s regime to ensure he feels the consequences of his actions in Ukraine. We speak with one voice when we say: Putin must fail.”
In Poland, the Prime Minister will meet the country’s premier Mateusz Morawiecki to underpin the UK’s financial and diplomatic support for central Europe in the face of a potential humanitarian crisis.
Mr Johnson will then travel on to Estonia, where he will join NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergin meeting British troops in Tapa.
The Prime Minister will also meet Estonian premier Kaja Kallas and Estonian President Alar Karis to discuss European security and stability.
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