Vlad, can I call you later? Downing Street scrambles to rearrange crunch phone call between Boris Johnson and Russian President Putin to discuss Ukraine crisis after Partygate update wreaks havoc with the PM’s schedule
- Call between Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin was expected this afternoon
- But PM’s response to Partygate in Commons means the call has been delayed
- Downing Street insisted it is ‘not unusual for timings with leaders to change’
- The phone call is supposed to happen before PM goes to Ukraine tomorrow
Downing Street is scrambling to rearrange a crunch phone call between Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin after the publication of the Partygate update wreaked havoc with the PM’s schedule.
The call between the pair to discuss the Ukraine crisis had been expected to take place this afternoon, with Mr Johnson due to tell the Russian President to ‘step back’ from a potential invasion.
But Mr Johnson had to deliver a statement to the House of Commons and answer questions from MPs following the publication of Sue Gray’s initial report into Whitehall party claims.
Mr Johnson is due to fly to Ukraine tomorrow for a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Number 10 will have viewed the call with Mr Putin as a key part of the pre-visit choreography.
Downing Street has insisted it is ‘not unusual for timings with world leaders to change’ with efforts ongoing to finalise a time for the two men to speak this evening.
However, Labour said the delayed call represented the ‘real world consequences of a distracted Prime Minister unfit for office running a government in disarray’.
Downing Street is scrambling to rearrange a crunch phone call between Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin after the publication of the Partygate update wreaked havoc with the PM’s schedule
The call between the pair to discuss the Ukraine crisis had been expected to take place this afternoon, with Mr Johnson due to tell the Russian President to ‘step back’ from a potential invasion.
Downing Street said at lunchtime that Mr Johnson was due to speak to Mr Putin this afternoon but stressed the timings were not certain.
There were reports that the call had been cancelled because of the Partygate fallout but Number 10 has said it is trying to agree a time for the call this evening.
Responding to the suggestion that the call had been cancelled, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘Amid a dangerous crisis threatening peace in Europe, a vital diplomatic opportunity has been missed as Boris Johnson scrambles to hold on to his job.
‘These are the real world consequences of a distracted Prime Minister unfit for office running a government in disarray.’
But Downing Street said: ‘It’s not unusual for timings with world leaders to change and you will appreciate the control of the timing for the receipt of this report rightly (was) with Sue Gray and her team, and the Prime Minister had committed to come to the House to make an update.’
Ahead of the planned call with Mr Putin, Number 10 said Mr Johnson would tell his counterpart to ‘take a diplomatic path’ and avoid ‘very costly’ military action in Ukraine.
‘Our aim is to continue to encourage Russia to take a diplomatic path, to de-escalate and to step back from what could be a very costly exercise if they were to follow the path of further aggression,’ the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said.
‘He has been clear at all points that pursuing that path would be extremely costly for the Russian people and it’s something we want to avoid and will continue to negotiate on.’
Russian troops have massed at the border with Ukraine but the Kremlin has repeatedly denied it is planning an invasion.
NATO nations have warned Mr Putin that Russia will face ‘severe’ economic consequences if he does launch an incursion.
Mr Johnson will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss during the trip to Ukraine.
Ms Truss today announced the Government is bringing forward new legislation to toughen and expand the UK’s sanctions regime in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Currently the UK can only sanction people specifically linked to the destabilisation of Ukraine but the new approach will allow a broader range of individuals and businesses to be targeted.
The Foreign Secretary said: ‘Whether you support Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine, or you’re of wider significance to the Kremlin, we will have the power to sanction you.’
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