Dominic Raab, the UK deputy prime minister, has ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine during the Russian attack, saying this would lead to a “massive escalation”.
Echoing the words of Boris Johnson, he said Vladimir Putin “must fail” – but warned this may take time.
Also on Sunday, the PM put forward a six-point plan for the international community to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
This included maximising economic pressure on the invading country and doing more to help Ukraine to defend itself and preventing a “creeping normalisation” of what Russia is doing to its neighbour.
“We cannot allow the Kremlin to bite off chunks of an independent country and inflict immense human suffering and then creep back into the fold,” Mr Johnson wrote in the New York Times.
Meanwhile, the UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has warned the Russia leader to neither “test” nor “underestimate” the UK.
That is all from us for today. We will be back tomorrow with more on what is happening in UK politics.
Over in Ireland, a government minister said the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland could exceed 80,000.
James Browne said the exodus of people from Ukraine was on a scale not witnessed in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
France condemns British treatment of Ukrainian refugees
France has urged Britain to do more to help Ukrainian refugees trying to come to the UK from Calais, as Dominic Raab defended the visa rules for those fleeing the conflict.
Its interior minister said it was “inhumane” of the UK to turn away refugees arriving at the French port city if they did not have a valid visa.
More here:
Boris Johnson lays out six-point plan on Ukraine
The PM has tweeted out his six-point plan for helping Ukraine in the Russian invasion:
Brexit and pesticides
Moving away from Ukraine for a moment, our policy correspondent Jon Stone has an article on Brexit and pesticides.
He reports the government is considering using its new regulatory freedom to allow ones banned in the EU on food imported to the UK.
Full story here:
UK ‘has direct line to Russia war room’
The UK has a “direct line” to Russia’s war room to ease tensions during the Ukraine crisis, a defence chief has revealed – but it is “not as strong” as wanted.
“We have a line in the Ministry of Defence that goes direct to the Moscow operational headquarters,” he said.
Rob Merrick, our deputy political editor, reports:
Labour response to six-point plan on Ukraine
On Boris Johnson’s six-point plan in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the shadow defence secretary said the prime minister must match his rhetoric with action.
“It’s exactly what the alliance of not just western states but increasingly international opinion is actually doing,” John Healey told Times Radio: “
“In many ways, some of our allies could reasonably turn around and say ‘well it’s all very well for you, Boris Johnson, but you’ve got to now match some of your tough rhetoric with your own action, particularly on humanitarian assistance, on diplomacy and on sanctions’.”
‘It’s very important we show the world we’re united’ – Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has said it is important to show the UK is “united” when asked whether Boris Johnson should resign.
See him make the comments to BBC here:
‘It does not work’ – Ukrainian woman on UK visa scheme
On that note, a Ukrainian woman has told ITV News the current visa scheme “does not work” and requirements waived to support those fleeing from war:
Waiving visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees would undermine public support, Raab claims
Dominic Raab has suggested support would be undermined for Ukraine if the UK let refugees in without visas.
The justice secretary was asked on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme about reports that 150 Ukrainian refugees had been turned away at Calais because they did not have a valid visa.
He said: “Look, if we just open the door not only will we not benefit the people that we need to, the genuine refugees, but I think we undermine the popular support for this very thing, so I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We need to make sure that we’re acting for those that need our support.”
Our social affairs correspondent, May Bulman, has spoken to Ukrainians refugees unable to join family in the UK under the current visa scheme:
