Russian incursion in Ukraine will be political, humanitarian, military disaster: UK premier

Further Russian incursion in Ukraine would be a political, humanitarian and military disaster, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in Kyiv on Tuesday.

At a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Johnson said intelligence suggests an “imminent military campaign,” responding to Russian claims that Western countries have exaggerated the threat.

Johnson and Zelensky met in the Ukrainian capital “to discuss ongoing Russian hostile activity, including military buildup.”

“We see large numbers of troops amassing, we see preparations for all kinds of operations that are consistent with an imminent military campaign,” the British premier said.

Johnson said the Russians should understand the reality that Ukraine “will fight,” and there are 200,000 people ready to put up a “very, very fierce and bloody resistance.”

“I hope very much that President [Vladimir] Putin steps back from the path of conflict and that we engage in dialogue, and that is what the UK is intent on producing and that’s why I’m here today," he said, adding that he will speak with Putin on Wednesday.

A phone call between the two leaders was scheduled for Tuesday but later postponed to Wednesday.