Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to hold an emergency COBRA meeting today amid fears Russia is going to invade Ukraine.
The PM cut short a tour of the UK to return to London this week following reports that Russian president Vladimir Putin could launch an invasion in a matter of days.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss convened a COBRA meeting yesterday, February 14, to discuss the UK's consular response to the issue, while Johnson is set to chair today's meeting after receiving an intelligence briefing.
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COBRA stands for the Civil Contingencies Committee, which is convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption.
Today's meeting comes after Johnson held a phone call with US president Joe Biden to discuss the threat, in which they updated one another on discussions with fellow world leaders and agreed there was a 'crucial window for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine.'
A release about the call explained: 'The leaders emphasised that any further incursion into Ukraine would result in a protracted crisis for Russia, with far reaching damage for both Russia and the world. They agreed that western allies must remain united in the face of Russian threats, including imposing a significant package of sanctions should Russian aggression escalate.'
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Johnson has stressed that he would be making immense efforts to help resolve the situation and said that Ukraine’s future membership of NATO could not be 'bargained away' as part of western leaders’ efforts, The Guardian reports.
He said: 'I think it’s very important that we have a conversation, but what we can’t do is trade away the sovereign rights of the Ukrainians who aspire to NATO membership. That’s something that was a massive gain for our world. If you remember what happened in 1990, you had a Europe whole and free, countries could decide their own futures. We can’t bargain that away. It’s for the Ukrainian people.'
On Friday, February 11, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its travel advice to Ukraine to advise British nationals against all travel to Ukraine. Any Britons currently in the country are being advised to leave immediately, 'while commercial means are still available'.
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As tensions increased between Russia and Ukraine, KLM became the first major airline to suspend flights to the capital. Ukraine has said it is prepared to assume financial obligations for flight safety in the country's airspace by allocating funds from the State Budget Reserve Fund to the Infrastructure Ministry.
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Topics: World News, Russia, UK News, Boris Johnson, Politics
Emily Brown