Boris Johnson has told President Putin that any invasion of Ukraine would have “significant consequences” as Russia warned conflict was inevitable if Nato continued its expansion toward its borders.
In a phone call Johnson told Putin that the UK was committed to Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” and that any “destabilising action” by Russia would be met with a united response from the West.
In Moscow Russia’s deputy foreign minister gave the Kremlin’s first explicit warning of military action, amplifying tensions with Ukraine.
“A lack of progress towards a political-diplomatic solution would mean that our response will be military and military-technical,” Sergei Ryabkov told the state news agency RIA Novosti.
“There will be confrontation. There’s no trust in Nato as an alliance. We’re no longer playing these kinds of games and don’t believe in Nato’s assurances.”
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In his call with Putin, Johnson said he recognised the importance of having a “dialogue on international and regional security” and that both sides needed to respect the Minsk Protocol. The protocol was signed by Russia and Ukraine in 2015 and brought an end to fighting in eastern Donbas. Russia claims Ukraine is failing to implement the deal and wants to take back the Donbas by force.
Last Tuesday President Biden had a two-hour video meeting with Putin in which he set out sanctions that the West would take against Russia if the country’s forces invaded Ukraine.
Ryabkov is expected to meet Karen Donfried, the American assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, this week in Moscow.