UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns Putin against the invasion of Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a joint press conference with the Ukrainian prime minister following their talks in Kyiv on February 1, 2022. Photo/AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (local time) warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against the invasion of Ukraine and said it would be a "tragic miscalculation."

Johnson issued the warning during a phone call with Putin. He told the Russian President that he is deeply concerned about the 100,000 soldiers massed at Ukraine's border, reported NHK World.

British officials released a statement saying the leaders agreed that aggravation was in no one's interest.

Johnson also stressed that Ukraine had every right to apply to join the "defensive alliance" of NATO if it wished and that Kyiv should be included in any talks over the standoff with Russia.

He visited Kyiv on Tuesday, warning after talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian forces massed on the border represented a "clear and present danger" to Ukraine, reported Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Russian officials released their own statement, saying NATO's response to their concerns has been inadequate.

Putin has been calling for NATO troops to withdraw from eastern Europe and wants guarantees that Ukraine will never be allowed to join the bloc, reported NHK World.

Putin said members of the alliance are hiding behind their open-door policy. He said that contradicts their own commitments to shared security.

Tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine have been building for weeks, with the West accusing Moscow of preparing an imminent invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

Russia has denied any plans to invade but is demanding that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO and a series of other security guarantees against the US-led military alliance's expansion in the ex-Soviet bloc.

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