UK PM Boris Johnson appalled by events in Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and has spoken to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss next steps.

“President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” UK PM Johnson said in a tweet.

I am appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and I have spoken to President Zelenskyy to discuss next steps.

President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

The UK and our allies will respond decisively.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 24, 2022

Explosions were heard before dawn Thursday in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the eastern port city of Mariupol, shortly after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced an operation to “demilitarise” the country.

AFP correspondents in both cities heard powerful blasts and in Mariupol, close to the frontline and the Russian border, residents reported hearing artillery in the city’s eastern suburbs.

Also Read: Joe Biden says U.S., allies will respond to ‘unjustified’ attack by Russia on Ukraine

President Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.