Boris Johnson urges EU to get a move on with Ukraine response

Boris Johnson urged Brussels to finalize its response to Russian aggression towards Ukraine so it can present a united front with London and Washington, politico.eu writes.

In a statement to the U.K. parliament Tuesday, the British prime minister said his country has a “hard hitting package of sanctions” against Russia “ready to go” — but called on EU leaders to solve internal differences over their response to Moscow as soon as possible.

“We want to see our European friends ready to deploy that package as soon as there should be any Russian incursion at all into the Ukraine,” he said.

Johnson confirmed Britain will deploy more troops to support NATO in eastern Europe if Russia invades Ukraine. But he said it was unlikely NATO would send military personnel to Ukraine itself because the country is not a member of the alliance. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will visit Ukraine next week to discuss the situation with the government there.

The British premier told MPs he believed that “all of Russia’s fears could yet be allayed” through further diplomatic contacts — so long as Moscow steps away from any incursion. “We could find a path to mutual security through patient and principled diplomacy, provided that President Putin avoid the trap of starting a terrible war,” he added.

Johnson accused Moscow of planning to “salami-slice” Ukraine, after it surrounded the country with more than 100,000 Russian troops. He argued Russia is trying to create a second tier of countries in eastern Europe banned from joining NATO or other alliances without Russian approval.