British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone about NATO and Ukraine. The results of the conversation were reported by the Kremlin and British government press services.
Johnson's office reported that the prime minister expressed to Putin deep concern about Russia's current hostile activity on the border with Ukraine. He called for respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity and the country's right to self-defense.
The British politician also warned that any further Russian incursion into Ukraine would be a tragic miscalculation.
An open door policy for NATO was also discussed. Johnson said that all European democracies could become members of the Alliance and Ukraine was no exception.
But Putin said that NATO does not want to respond adequately to Russia's legitimate concerns under the guise of an open door policy that contradicts the fundamental principle of the indivisibility of security.
At the same time, the British side reported that the leaders agreed: It is not in anyone's interest to escalate.
