British Prime Minister Boris Johnson traveled to Ukraine Tuesday and warned that the Eastern European nation faces a “clear and present danger” of a Russian invasion - which he predicted would be met with “bloody resistance”, writes nypost.com.
“Someone said, “Were we exaggerating the threat; the US and UK are trying to big this up”, Johnson said during a news conference alongside Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. “That’s not the intelligence we are seeing. It’s a clear and present danger”.
The British prime minister went on to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to undermine the post-Cold War European order and insisted that the West had sanctions ready to be put in place “the moment the first Russian toecap crosses further into Ukrainian territory”.
Zelensky has attempted in recent days to play down the threat posed by the estimated 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s eastern border, suggesting last week that Western nations were instilling “panic” by saying an incursion could be imminent.
However, the Ukrainian leader said Tuesday that any conflict between Moscow and Kiev “is not going to be a war between Ukraine and Russia.
“This is going to be a European war, a fully-fledged war”, - Zelensky added.
Johnson said it was important to convey to the world that Ukraine’s forces would fight fiercely against any incursion.
“Parents, mothers in Russia should reflect on that fact”, - he said. “I hope President Putin steps back from that conflict and engages in dialogue”.