UK’s Johnson: Next few days ‘most dangerous’ in Russia, Ukraine standoff

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said the next few days could be the most dangerous moment in what he says is the “biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades” after Russia’s most senior uniformed military officer arrived in Belarus for a large-scale war game. 

“This is probably the most dangerous moment, I would say, in the course of the next few days, in what is the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades, and we’ve got to get it right,” Johnson said, according to Reuters. “And I think that the combination of sanctions and military resolve, plus diplomacy is what is in order.”

Johnson told reporters at the headquarters of the NATO military alliance in Brussels that he believes Russia has not decided whether to invade Ukraine.

“That doesn’t mean that it is impossible that something absolutely disastrous could happen very soon indeed,” Johnson continued. “And our intelligence, I’m afraid to say, remains grim.”

Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, in addition to roughly 30,000 near the Ukraine-Belarus border, generating concerns that the country may launch an invasion. While Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations, the Kremlin said it could take unspecified “military-technical” action unless demands are met, according to the wire service. 

Johnson said Britain “remains unwavering in our commitment to European security.”

His comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Moscow and Kyiv earlier this week in an effort to de-escalate tensions. President Joe Biden and Macron met after the meeting to discuss “ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts.”