Boris Johnson is set to tell international leaders “the world is watching” as he urges them to match rhetoric with action over Russia’s invasion with Ukraine. The Prime Minister will set out a six-point plan on Sunday, which he hopes global counterparts will accept, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin moved the goalposts over the West’s engagement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr Johnson said that “it is not future historians but the people of Ukraine who will be our judge” over how the world reacts to Mr Putin’s “hideous, barbarous assault”. Ahead of a swathe of meetings in coming days, Mr Johnson said: “Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression. It is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order – we must defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by military force.”
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned the Kremlin not to underestimate the West. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Wallace said allies “must not be afraid of Putin”. He warned the Russian leader – who he said was “acting irrationally and inflicting horrors on Ukraine” – not to “test” the UK.
“The thing to say to Putin is don’t underestimate us, don’t test us,” he told the newspaper. “History is littered with authoritarian leaders underestimating the wider West and the United Kingdom. He clearly underestimated the international community.”
He added: “If we stick together and refuse to be intimidated then I believe he will fail.”
Mr Putin warned on Saturday the Kremlin would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as participation in the conflict. He said Russia would view “any move in this direction” as an intervention that “will pose a threat to our service members”.
“That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,” he said. However, Ukraine has repeatedly said the move is the only way to stop more deaths.
Nato allies have ruled out implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid fears it could prompt an all-out war with nuclear-armed Russia. But Mr Putin also said that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war.
Meanwhile, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that China opposes any moves that “add fuel to the flames” in Ukraine. Mr Blinken said the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the principles of freedom and sovereignty. The two spoke by phone on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Mr Wang called for negotiations to resolve the immediate crisis, as well as talks on creating a balanced European security mechanism. He said the US and Europe should pay attention to the negative impact of Nato’s eastward expansion on Russia’s security.
The US State Department said Mr Blinken underscored that the world is acting in unison in response to Russian aggression and ensuring that Moscow will pay a high price.
China has broken with the US, Europe and others that have imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. China says that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations should be respected, but that sanctions create new issues and disrupt the process of political settlement.
And payment giants Mastercard and Visa are suspending their operations in Russia in the latest blow to the country’s financial system. Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any card issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or ATMs.
“We don’t take this decision lightly,” Mastercard said in a statement, adding that it made the move after discussions with customers, partners and governments.
Visa said it is working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days. Chairman and chief executive officer Al Kelly said: “We are compelled to act following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
