Boris Johnson has vowed that Vladimir Putin ‘must fail’ as he condemned the Russian warmonger’s ‘hideous and barbarous’ assault on Ukraine.
In a video message published on his Twitter account, Britain’s prime minister thanked businesses, community groups, individuals and sports clubs which have sanctioned the Kremlin over its lawless invasion of the former Soviet republic 10 days ago.
Calling the Western effort to punish Putin ‘absolutely vital’, he signed off with ‘Slava Ukraini’, a national salute used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces which means: ‘Glory to Ukraine’.
‘I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been working so hard to support Ukraine and Ukrainians in the wake of this horrific invasion by Vladimir Putin,’, Johnson said.
‘I want to thank business, community groups, individuals, sports clubs who have been coming together to support Ukraine. I think of the group in Northern Ireland that’s got a local warehouse as a centre for supplies to go to the war zone. I think of Inna Schorr, a London-based Ukrainian who’s raising thousands of pounds while her own family is back in Ukraine.
‘Don’t forget for all Ukrainian families here in the UK, we have ways of bringing our wider relatives back to the UK. We have a humanitarian route where you can sponsor people to come from Ukraine. And we also have through the Disasters and Emergencies Committee, the UK government is supporting the giving of yet more funds to Ukraine, in addition to all the work we’re doing on military support and of course the massive massive package of economic sanctions that we’re helping to impose.
‘The UK government started the ball rolling with £20million and we will match fund everything that you give. Thank you for what you are doing.
‘It is absolutely vital that Vladimir Putin understands that this hideous, barbarous assault cannot succeed and that he will fail, and believe me, I think he will. Putin must fail. Thank you for everything you’re doing, and Slava Ukraini.’
Russia has faced an unprecedented Western diplomatic, economic and cultural boycott since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
As sanctions first bit last week, the rouble sank 30 per cent in early trading before easing back to stand 20 per cent down. Its collapsing value risks wiping out the savings of ordinary Russians, who have been seen flocking to ATMs all over the country to empty their accounts, including in Putin’s home city of St Petersburg.
It comes as Putin warned that Moscow would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as ‘participation in the armed conflict’.
Boris Johnson has vowed that Vladimir Putin ‘must fail’ as he condemned the Russian tyrant’s ‘hideous’ assault on Ukraine
A demonstrator holds a placard as she takes part in a rally in Trafalgar square in central London, March 5, 2022
Putin chairs a video meeting of the Pobeda committee at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, July 2, 2020
Marina Yatsko, left, and her boyfriend Fedor mourn over her 18 month-old son Kirill's lifeless body, killed in shelling, as he lays on a stretcher in a hospital in Mariupol, March 4, 2022
Smoke rise after shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol, March 4, 2022
Debris are scattered around the hole in a road at the site where several houses have been damaged by an explosion, following an air strike in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast, March 5, 2022
Since Russia invaded on February 24, Moscow has pummelled Ukrainian cities, with officials reporting hundreds of civilians killed. Europe's largest atomic power plant came under attack sparking fears of a catastrophic nuclear accident. But Russia has so far only seized two key cities, Berdiansk and Kherson. Capturing Mariupol represents a bigger prize for Russia as it would deal a severe blow to Ukraine's maritime access and connect with troops coming from annexed Crimea and the Donbas