British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that Ukrainian refugees, if they come to Britain illegally, can be deported to Rwanda, although he considers such a situation unlikely.

Johnson said this during a visit to Rwanda, reports The Guardian.

Britain has agreed with Rwanda that it will send illegals to the country to address the problem of refugees crossing the Channel in search of asylum.

Johnson previously said that the prospect of sending Ukrainian refugees to Rwanda under a scandalous government scheme made public in April "just won't happen."

But now, when asked whether Ukrainians arriving in Britain illegally by boat could face deportation to East Africa, Johnson allowed for that possibility, though he stressed that the government has given Ukrainians enough legal options for arrival.

"The only circumstances in which people will be sent to Rwanda is if they arrive in the United Kingdom illegally and thereby undermine the safe and legal routes that we have. I think we give Ukrainians 130,000 visas, and they have at least two very good routes to come to this country," the head of the British government said.

"But if you come here illegally ... I'm afraid the answer is, I think, yes, theoretically it could happen. But I think it's unlikely," he added.

In April, the U.K. government announced a scheme to combat irregular migration, under which asylum seekers who have arrived in Britain by "illegal or dangerous means" since Jan. 1 of this year will be taken to Rwanda. There they can apply for asylum seeker status already in Rwanda or any other third country.