A RUSSIAN invasion of Ukraine would be “catastrophic for the world” the Prime Minister has said.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin listed “Russian forces massing on the Ukrainian border” and other activities such as “interfering with western elections”, asking: “How much does the Government understand that President Putin is conducting a hybrid war against the west and how is the Government responding to it?”

Boris Johnson said: “I am afraid he is absolutely right in what he says.”

He added: “There is a particular crisis that we face on the border with Ukraine where Russian troops have been massing for some time has the House knows.

“I told President Putin on Monday what I think everybody in the G7 and more widely is agreed, that if Russia were so rash and mad as to engage in an invasion of sovereign territory of Ukraine, then there would be an extremely tough package of economic sanctions, mounted by our allies, mounted by the UK and our friends around the world.

“There would also of course be support for Ukraine, there would inevitably be the build up of Nato forces in the periphery regions and as I told President Putin, I believe any such action would be catastrophic not just for Russia and for Ukraine, but for the world.”