Boris Johnson says the job of the UK is 'to lead the West' against Putin

The Prime Minister has updated the House of Commons at Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) on the emerging situation in the Ukraine.

Briefing on his visit to the Ukraine, Mr Johnson said "the job of the UK is to lead the West in bringing together the most important countries to bring forward a package of economic sanctions that would deter President Putin from a disastrous miscalculation".

"This country has come down very well on dirty money from Russia. That's why we have sanctions on Russia".

Mr Johnson relayed the events of his call with Mr Putin on Wednesday, in which during he asked for a dialling down of aggression.

This comes after Boris Johnson has warned Russia that Britain will hit Moscow with sanctions the “moment the first Russian toecap crosses further into Ukrainian territory”.

During a diplomatic mission to Kyiv, the Prime Minister accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of effectively “holding a gun … to the head of Ukraine” as he told the Kremlin to step back from a “military disaster”.

But Mr Johnson was also forced to fend off questions about the scandal hanging over his leadership over alleged lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister warned of a “clear and present danger” presented by the massing of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops on its border with Ukraine, which he described as possibly the greatest act of hostility “towards the Ukraine in our lifetimes”.

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