“Our worst fears have now come true,” says British PM Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying in a televised address that Vladimir Putin has “attacked a friendly country without any provocation, and without any credible excuse.”
“Our worst fears have now come true, and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate,” Johnson said.

Addressing the Russian people, he added: “I cannot believe this has been done in your name, or that you really want the pariah status it will bring to the Putin regime.”

He also called for Europe to end its dependence on Russian oil and gas.

But Johnson did not set out details of the UK’s response, saying only that he was working with allies on a “massive package of economic sanctions” designed to “hobble the Russian economy.”

On Tuesday, after Putin first ordered troops into two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine, Johnson announced sanctions on five Russian banks and three individuals — measures that were criticized in some corners for not going far enough.