Boris Johnson Has Urged Nato Allies Not To Sacrifice Principles In The Ukraine Situation
Boris Johnson will fly to Brussels and Warsaw in support of Nato allies, stating that the military alliance's fundamentals must not be compromised.
During the tensions over Ukraine, he said Nato needed to draw "lines in the snow," including the right of every European democracy to aspire to membership.
Later this week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will meet with their Russian counterparts in Moscow.
Despite Russia's denials, it has 100,000 troops stationed on Ukraine's border.
It need assurances. Ukraine will be denied membership in NATO.
The prime minister's travel is part of a flurry of diplomatic action in the United Kingdom.
Ms Truss said she was committed to speak up for freedom and democracy in Ukraine ahead of her first travel to Russia in four years, and that she planned to urge Moscow to pursue a diplomatic solution.
During the day, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet with Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.
The latest diplomatic attempts come as Russia and Belarus prepare to begin a 10-day joint military exercise that the US has labeled "escalatory."
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron of France stated that discussions with Russia and Ukraine, which began earlier this week, might resume on Thursday.
Mr Macron told reporters on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had guaranteed him that the crisis would not escalate, but Russia denied making such a promise.
The current tensions are the result of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula eight years ago. Since then, Ukraine's military has been at odds with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, close to Russia's borders.
The prime minister has announced the deployment of 1,000 extra British troops in the UK, but he has also stated that Nato is unlikely to send troops into Ukraine.