UK PM builds pressure on Russia ahead of trip

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK will “continue to bring maximum pressure to bear” on Russia as he flies to Poland and Estonia.

He said Vladimir Putin would “feel the consequences” for invading Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will also travel to Geneva on Tuesday to speak at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Russian army continues its advance on Kyiv, with satellite images spotting an armoured convoy about 40 miles long.

  Air raid sirens were sounded again in the capital overnight, and there were also reports of fierce shelling in other cities including Chernihiv in the north.

It comes after fighting escalated on Monday, with missiles killing dozens of civilians in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the bombardment as a war crime.

And International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan has said he plans to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine as soon as possible.

Mr Johnson is due to meet the leaders of Estonia and Poland to discuss the response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis on Ukraine’s border, as well as European security.

He will also speak to Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg and meet British troops serving in Estonia which shares a border with Russia.

Mr Johnson said ahead of trip: “Alongside all our international allies, the UK will continue to bring maximum pressure to bear on Putin’s regime to ensure he feels the consequences of his actions in Ukraine.

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“We speak with one voice when we say, Putin must fail.

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How best to help Ukrainian refugees may be one subject Mr Johnson will discuss with his Polish counterpart on Tuesday.

Poland says it has been trying to process more than 300,000 people who have fled from Ukraine.

The UK government is facing calls to make its visa rules clearer and to match the European Union’s offer to accept Ukrainian refugees for up to three years, without asking them to apply for asylum.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government was working on the possibility of helping Ukrainian refugees come to the UK.

She said further changes to the UK’s policy would be announced in the next few days.

Ms Patel had told MPs hours earlier that she would not waive the visa requirement for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, saying security checks were a “fundamental” part of the approval process.

The government has already made changes to visa rules allowing anyone settled in the UK to bring their immediate Ukrainian family members to join them.

 
 
BBC
UK PM builds pressure on Russia ahead of trip