Boris Johnson heads to Ukraine to bolster support as Russian invasion fears grow
Boris Johnson is heading to Ukraine as tensions increase on the country's border where more than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed.
The prime minister will travel to the capital Kyiv on Tuesday to meet with president Volodymyr Zelensky, as he vowed to support the country's sovereignty.
His visit comes after Russia accused the West on Monday of “whipping up tensions” over Ukraine and said the US had brought “pure Nazis” to power in Kyiv at a U.N. Security Council meeting.
Britain has pledged £88 million of new funding to support Ukraine in an attempt to shore up democracy and reduce the former Soviet state’s reliance on Russian energy, as he warned the Kremlin "to avoid further bloodshed".
Mr Johnson had been due to speak to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday, but the call was cancelled as much of his day was taken up defending his own leadership following the publication of the Sue Gray report into No 10 parties.
No 10 said they couldn't find a time to speak, as there had been no “settled time” for the call, and that they were still hoping to arrange a time with the Kremlin for the two men to speak.
But Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the delayed call showed there were “real-world consequences” of having a prime minister fighting for his political survival.
He said: “The situation in Ukraine is immensely serious. We want diplomacy to succeed.
“This crisis requires the attention of a focused Prime Minister, but the Boris Johnson is playing catch up and the government is in disarray. Yesterday he missed a call with Putin because he was in Parliament defending the indefensible.”
The cash Britain has pledged – part of the UK’s Good Governance Fund – will help “support stable governance and energy independence”, by supporting transparency and anti-corruption initiatives and efforts to reduce Ukraine’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Johnson said: “It is the right of every Ukrainian to determine how they are governed. As a friend and a democratic partner, the UK will continue to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of those who seek to destroy it.
“We urge Russia to step back and engage in dialogue to find a diplomatic resolution and avoid further bloodshed.”
It comes after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced plans for legislation with new powers to sanction individuals and businesses linked to the Russian state and said those sharing responsibility for the Kremlin’s “aggressive, destabilising action” could have their assets in the UK frozen.
“We will be able to target any company that is linked to the Russian state, engages in business of economic significance to the Russian state or operates in a sector of strategic significance to the Russian state,” she told MPs.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry on the “dirty money” associated with corruption.
Committee chairman and Tory MP Tom Tugendhat said the government had “done little to address these dangers” and added: “Today, illicit finance and corruption are closer to home and now there are new threats to contend with.
“Dirty money is allowed to move beyond the reach of law enforcement and challenge the capabilities of regulators around the world.”
He added: “As a global financial centre, the UK is in a unique position to act and to protect against threats to the rules-based international order. Russia’s intimidation of Ukraine, and the pressure The Kremlin is putting on other European states, makes it clear we must act.”
In the Commons, Mr Tugendhat said: “The need to clean up the dirty money in our economy is not just about doing the right thing and standing up alongside the people of Ukraine, it is about standing up for the British people, defending ourselves against the corruption that flows through our system, making sure that our houses are homes and not being exploited to pay murderers on behalf of a dictator.
“The strongest thing we can do to defend Ukraine is to defend ourselves against filth and corruption in our city.”
Ms Truss replied: “As I have said, we will be bringing forward the Economic Crime Bill to add to the work we are already doing to tackle illicit finance.”
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said he was engaged in “non-stop diplomacy” to try and dial down the threat on the Ukrainian border.
He said: “I had productive talks last week with President Zelensky and continue to be engaged in nonstop diplomacy and deescalate tension and to improve security of our ally and all of Europe.”
Talks between the US and Russia have so far failed to ease tensions in the crisis, with the West saying Moscow is preparing for an invasion.
Russia denies it is planning to attack but is demanding guarantees Ukraine will never join Nato, while calling on the Western alliance to draw back its forces in eastern Europe.
After Mr Johnson’s call with Mr Putin was delayed, French President Emmanuel Macron instead spoke to the Russian leader for the second time in four days.
The PM is expected to discuss a “full range of strategic UK support” with Mr Zelensky.
He was due to be joined on the trip by Ms Truss, but she will not be travelling after testing positive for Covid on Monday evening.
The UK is expected to bolster military presence in eastern Europe as part of Nato’s efforts to secure the region.
But British and Nato combat forces are not expected to be deployed in Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.
Around 100 British personnel are involved in a training mission in the country, and Downing Street said that since 2015, British Armed Forces had trained more than 22,000 Ukrainian troops.