Boris Johnson: invasion of Ukraine would send shock waves around world

UK PM urges western unity in face of potential military action by Russia

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the threat of sanctions may deter Russian action. Photo: AP

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An invasion of Ukraine by Russia would send shock waves around the world, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, as he warned that the threat of sanctions and other measures may not be enough to deter a Russian attack.

While the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin were not fully clear, Mr Johnson told the Munich Security Conference that “the omens are grim”.

He said the UK still hoped diplomacy and dialogue could succeed, despite the presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops on the Ukranian border.

“If Ukraine is invaded, the shock will echo around the world. And those echoes will be heard in East Asia, they will be heard in Taiwan,” Mr Johnson said.

“When I spoke to the prime ministers of Japan and Australia this week, they left me in no doubt that the economic and political shocks will be felt on the far side of the world.”

He called for western unity in the face of the threats, adding that sanctions in response to Russian military action against Ukraine would make it “impossible” for Moscow to access the City of London's capital markets.

“We must accept that these measures by the UK and our allies – draconian sanctions, rinsing out dirty money, the intensification of Nato's defences, fortifying our Ukrainian friends – they may not be enough to deter Russian aggression, and it is therefore vital that we learn the lessons of 2014,” Mr Johnson said, referring to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine eight years ago.

The UK has long been accused of turning a blind eye to lucrative flows of Russian-sourced money through London, although the government has sought to crack down on that.

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  Russian President Vladimir Putin signs documents recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. AFP

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  A Ukrainian soldier walks past fragments of a mortar shell amid fighting near the front line in Travneve, Donetsk region. Reuters

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  People wave Russian flags while celebrating Moscow's recognition of the self-proclaimed republic's independence, in Donetsk. AP

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  Protesters gather at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in Kiev, calling on the EU to impose additional sanctions against Russia. Getty Images

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  Members of the security forces walk in an underpass at a railway station in Kiev. Getty Images

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  A Ukrainian soldier on the front line near the village of Travneve, in Donetsk. Reuters

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  Alisa, 38, a media relations specialist, takes part in a combat skills training for civilians near Kiev. Reuters

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  Alisa poses with a gun at her home near Kiev. Reuters

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  A young girl takes part in a rally in defence of 'Ukraine, Europe and democratic values', organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, outside the Russian Consulate in Porto, Portugal. EPA

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  A Ukrainian soldier takes time out to play with dogs on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske, in Donetsk. Reuters

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  People gather under the Ukrainian flag for a Day of Solidarity with Ukraine at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. AFP

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  Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic cross from Ukraine into Russia, after it was announced that women and children would be led to the Rostov region due to rising tension in the area. EPA

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  After the evacuation of separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine, people complete documents in a temporary accommodation centre in Rostov, Russia. Reuters

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  War veterans and volunteers train civilians in handling weapons on one of Kiev's city beaches. AFP

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  Russian and Belarusian helicopters taking part in a joint military exercise of the allied countries’ armed forces. EPA

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  Ukrainian National Guard soldiers at a mobile checkpoint together with the Ukrainian Security Service agents and police officers during a joint operation in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

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  US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

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  A Polish soldier uses his phone, as US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak visit the Air Base in Powidz, Poland. Reuters

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  Mr Austin, left, addresses US troops stationed at the Powidz Air Base in Poland. AP Photo

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  A woman walks to board a bus, arranged to evacuate local residents, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A satellite image shows an overview of helicopter deployments near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian Military Forces serviceman looks through a spyglass on the front line with Russia-backed separatists not far from Novolugansk in the Donetsk region. AFP

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  A serviceman keeps position on the front line. AFP

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  A Ukrainian frontier guard patrols along the border with Russia, some 40km from the city of Kharkiv. AFP

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  US President Joe Biden speaks to the media about Russia's buildup on the Ukrainian border as he leaves the White House in Washington. EPA

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  A Ukrainian frontier guard stands at a check point. AFP

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  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow. Reuters

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  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations Security Council. AP Photo

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  An elderly lady walks by as members of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination survey damage to a house from artillery shell that landed in Vrubivka, eastern Ukraine. AP Photo

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  French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders to discuss Ukraine at the European Council building in Brussels. AP Photo

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  A local resident boards a train at a suburban area of Kiev. Reuters

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  A woman stands among debris after the reported shelling of a nursery in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. AFP

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  A protester shouts slogans during a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev against high government taxes. AFP

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  A member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army rests ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg in the US. AP Photo

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  Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army clean weaponry ahead of deployment to Poland. AP Photo

Mr Johnson said Britain intended to “open up the Matryoshka dolls of Russian-owned companies and Russian-owned entities, to find the ultimate beneficiaries within".

The prime minister said that many western leaders, including himself, had visited Kiev in recent weeks to reassure Ukraine of their support.

“How hollow, how meaningless, how insulting those words would seem if, at the very moment when their sovereignty and independence is imperilled, we simply look away.”