Boris Johnson has warned Vladimir Putin that a Russian invasion on Ukraine will lead to a “painful, violent and bloody” war.
The prime minister said he believed that the Ukrainian people will rise up, leading to a lengthy conflict similar to Russia’s involvement in Chechnya.
Johnson said the UK was leading global efforts to put in place a package of economic sanctions should an invasion take place.
But he said that while the outlook was “gloomy”, with Russian troops massed along the Ukrainian border, a war was still not “inevitable” as he urged the Kremlin to think again.
He said: “The plan for a lightning war that could take out Kiev is one that everybody can see.
“We need to make it very clear to the Kremlin, to Russia, that that would be a disastrous step. And so what we are saying is that the UK is leading on creating the package of economic sanctions, working with our partners around the world and I’ll be talking to them this afternoon - talking to colleagues in other capitals and in Washington.
“But we also need to get over the message that invading Ukraine from a Russian perspective is going to be a painful, violent and bloody business. It’s very important that people in Russia understand that this could be a new Chechnya.
“I’ve been to Ukraine several times, I know the people of that country a bit and my judgment is that they will fight. And really, that is not the way the world should be going.”
On the prospects of war, the PM added: “I’ve got to tell you that I think that the intelligence is pretty gloomy on this point. There is a large array of Russian forces and we have to take the necessary steps. I don’t think it’s by any means inevitable now, I think that sense can still prevail.”
But he added: “We stand fully foursquare with the people of Ukraine and we support the sovereign integrity of Ukraine, but we also need to get over to Russia that any incursion of any kind into Ukraine is not going to be a cost-free business. Thhere will be casualties and I think people in Russia need to understand it could be their new Chechnya.”
