UK troops won’t fight Russia in Ukraine under any circumstances, Boris Johnson says

The PM spoke out as the conflict reached its sixth day

The Prime Minister has ruled out dispatching British troops to battle the Russians in Ukraine, as the conflict entered its sixth day. Speaking at a military base in Estonia, Boris Johnson said: "I want to be crystal clear. We will not fight Russian forces in Ukraine. "Our reinforcements, like these reinforcements here in Tapa, are firmly within the borders of Nato members and that is profoundly the right thing to do." The Prime Minister also repeated his commitment not to put in a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He said: "It's very, very important to understand NATO is a defensive alliance. This is a time when miscalculation and misunderstanding is all too possible and it's therefore crucial that we get that message over. "When it comes to a no-fly zone in the skies above Ukraine we have to accept the reality that that involves shooting down Russian planes ... that's a very, very big step, it's simply not on the agenda of any NATO country." Speaking alongside the Prime Minister, NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg warned that "heavy Russian armour" moving towards Kyiv would bring "more death, more suffering and more civilian casualties". He said: "That is the reason why we need to continue to provide support to Ukraine, why we continue to call on Russia to stop this bloody war and why we need to impose costs by the heavy sanctions on Russia." Related Links

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