Boris Johnson hits out at Putin’s atrocities, saying difference between ‘good and evil’ is clear

PM says government does not support UK volunteers fighting in conflict – contradicting Liz Truss

(REUTERS)

Boris Johnson has claimed there has been no greater difference between “good and evil” in international affairs, as he hit out at Vladimir Putin’s atrocities against civilians in Ukraine.

As Russian forces launched missile strikes on Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, the prime minister described the scenes as “absolutely sickening” and compared the situation to some of the attacks on Sarajevo in the Bosnian war.

“It has that feel to me of an atrocity deliberately against a civilian centre,” he said during a press conference at Tapa military base in Estonia.

With the Kremlin’s invasion now in its sixth day, the prime minister, however, reiterated a no-fly zone or boots on the ground in the Eastern European country was “simply not on the agenda” of any Nato country.

Speaking alongside the Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas and Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of Nato, he stressed: “Nato is a defensive alliance.

“I think for any Nato member to get involved actively in conflict with Russia is a huge step which is not being contemplated by any member.”

He added: “I want to be crystal clear finally on that point. We will not fight Russian forces in Ukraine, and our reinforcements – like these reinforcements here in Tapa – are firmly within the borders of NATO members and they are profoundly the right thing to do.

The prime minister also contradicted remarks from the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, who suggested at the weekend that individual Brits who wished to fight Russian forces in Ukraine had the government’s blessing.

This map shows the extent of Russia’s attack on Ukraine (Press Association Images)

Speaking on Sunday, the cabinet minister said: “Absolutely if people want to support that struggle, I would support them doing that”.

But asked about Britain’s position, the prime minister clarified, saying: “I’m going to be very clear about this because you’re not quite right in what you say about supporting volunteers going to fight, the UK is not actively doing such a thing.

“I understand of course the feelings of people who feel emotionally engaged in this conflict because I cannot think of a time in international affairs when the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, has been so obvious.”

“I can understand why people feel as they do but we have laws in our country about international conflicts and how they must be conducted.”

Mr Johnson also used the press conference to play down the prospect of Russia being thrown off the UN Security Council because the rules could not be changed without Moscow’s agreement due to its veto.

But he added: “What is happening is that the great middle of the UN congregation is starting to realise quite how horrific this is.

“With every day that goes by, as they watch the heroism of the Ukrainian resistance and they see what’s happening in Ukraine and they see episodes like the missile in Kharkiv and the destruction of civilian populations, I think people’s stomachs are being turned by what is happening.

“They are seeing that it is necessary to stand up against Russian aggression, to support the Ukrainians and to endorse our strategy which is that President Putin must not be allowed to succeed, he must fail in Ukraine.”