“I will make an address to the nation this morning on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  I will also speak to fellow G7 leaders and I am calling for an urgent meeting of all NATO leaders as soon as possible,” Johnson tweeted after chairing an urgent Cobra emergency committee meeting on Thursday morning.

This is a catastrophe for our continent.

I will make an address to the nation this morning on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I will also speak to fellow G7 leaders and I am calling for an urgent meeting of all NATO leaders as soon as possible.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 24, 2022

Boris Johnson is expected to announce tougher sanctions against Russia later today.

On the other hand, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that she had summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK to explain Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I have summoned the Russian ambassador to meet me and explain Russia’s illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We will be imposing severe sanctions and rallying countries in support of Ukraine,” Truss tweeted.

I have summoned the Russian ambassador to meet me and explain Russia’s illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We will be imposing severe sanctions and rallying countries in support of Ukraine.

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 24, 2022

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine early on Thursday. The campaign started after a prolonged military buildup and the Russian recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the days prior to the invasion, followed by the entrance of the Russian Armed Forces to the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine on Monday.

At about 06:00 Moscow time (UTC+3), Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in eastern Ukraine; minutes later, missile strikes began at locations across the country, including in the capital Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Border Service stated that its border posts with Russia and Belarus were attacked.

The invasion prompted multiple countries to condemn the attack and impose severe sanctions on Russia. (ILKHA)