CONFLICT WITH RUSSIA MEANS FULL SCALE WAR IN EUROPE: ZELENSKIY

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

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Tue 01 February 2022:

Ukrainian president said that a military conflict with Russia would not just involve Ukraine but lead to a full scale war in Europe.

Speaking alongside Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said the leaders had discussed steps to contain Russia, adding nobody could predict what would happen next in Ukraine’s standoff with Moscow.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine was taking a responsible approach to the Minsk ceasefire agreement on ending the war in eastern Ukraine but disagreed with Russia on the sequencing on how the deal would be implemented

UK’s Johnson says Putin is holding a gun to Ukraine’s head

Russian president is holding a gun to Ukraine’s head in an effort to force a change to the architecture of European security, Boris Johnson said, stressing he was not exaggerating Russia’s threat.

“This is a clear and present danger. We see large numbers of troops massing, we see preparations for all kinds of operations that are consistent with an imminent military campaign,” Johnson said, adding he would talk to Putin on Wednesday.

“It’s about the whole European security architecture, because be in no doubt about what I think President Putin is trying to achieve here. I think that he is trying, by holding a gun as it were to the head of Ukraine, by intimidating Ukraine, to get us to change the way we look at (European security).”

Putin says hopes for solution to Ukraine crisis, but ‘not simple’

Russian president said that he hoped that Moscow and the West will find a solution to the raging security crisis over Ukraine, but also accused Washington of using Kyiv as a “tool” to contain Russia.

“I hope that in the end we will find this solution, although it will not be simple,” Putin said, though he added that Washington’s main goal was “to contain Russia, and Ukraine is just a tool to get us involved in some armed conflict.”

If Russia isn’t invading Ukraine, pull back troops now, Blinken tells Lavrov

US Secretary of State told his Russian counterpart Lavrov that this would be the time to pull back Russian troops from the border with Ukraine if Moscow is not intending to invade, a senior State Department official told reporters.

“If President Putin truly does not intend war or regime change, the Secretary told Lavrov then this is the time to pull back troops and heavy weaponry and engage in a serious discussion….that can enhance collective European security,” the official said, speaking to reporters on a call on condition of anonymity.

UK PM Johnson arrives in Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has arrived in the Ukrainian capital to meet Zelenskyy.

“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,” Johnson said on Twitter before landing.

Travelling to Kyiv today to meet President @ZelenskyyUa for talks.

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. pic.twitter.com/qmKBmNJhhx

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 1, 2022