Boris Johnson warns Europe facing ‘biggest security crisis’ as Russia amasses troops at Ukraine border

Boris Johnson has warned that Europe faces the “most dangerous moment” in its “biggest security crisis” for decades, as Russia gathers troops on its border with Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said he does not believe a decision has been taken in Moscow, but that does not mean something “absolutely disastrous” could happen very soon.

He said the situation “remains grim” as huge numbers of battalion groups gather at the border.

Speaking alongside Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Mr Johnson said: “I honestly don’t think a decision has yet been taken but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible that something absolutely disastrous could happen very soon indeed.

“Our intelligence, I’m afraid to say, remains grim. We’re seeing the massing of huge numbers of tactical battalion groups on the border with Ukraine.

“This is probably the most dangerous moment in the course of the next few days in what is the biggest security crisis Europe has faced for decades.

"We have to get it right."

Mr Johnson warned that "the stakes are very high" amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, but said the UK’s commitment to European security is “immovable”.

UK agrees further package of support

The Prime Minister is doubling the number of British troops on Europe’s borders with Russia, and will deploy more planes and ships to the region.

When asked at the news briefing if he is confident the UK’s action will be enough to ensure conflict does not break out, he said: "Whether we are going to be successful, I simply cannot say."

He did not rule out going further in giving Ukraine military support in the event of an invasion by Russia.

Asked if he could authorise military support to an insurgency in Ukraine, he said: “We will consider what more we can conceivably offer.

“The Ukrainians are well prepared, there are things we’ve offered that they in fact don’t seem to need because they think they have them in enough numbers already.

“It’s possible, I don’t want to rule this out, but at the moment we think the package is the right one. But I want to stress it would be an absolute disaster if it was to come to that and if there was to be serious bloodshed on Ukrainian soil.”

Mr Johnson will travel to Warsaw to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki later today.

War with Ukraine would be ‘disastrous’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has today warned her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow that an invasion of Ukraine would be “disastrous”.

Ms Truss said used the meeting to call on Russia to abandon “Cold War rhetoric” and urged Vladimir Putin’s administration to respect the Budapest memorandum signed in 1994, which committed the UK, US and Russia to respect and uphold Ukrainian independence.

The UK has put 1,000 troops on standby in case of a humanitarian crisis in the east if the current Russian military build-up leads to war.

The Foreign Secretary said: “The reality is we cannot ignore the build-up of over 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and the attempts to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Fundamentally, a war in Ukraine would be disastrous for the Russian and Ukrainian people, and for European security. And, together, Nato has made it clear that any incursion into Ukraine would have massive consequences and carry severe costs.”

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