Boris Johnson accused Vladimir Putin of “using the language of nuclear blackmail” before noting a solution to the grain blockade in Ukraine might not receive Russian consent.
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee, repeated calls for the UK to secure a UN General Assembly resolution to create a “humanitarian safe haven” around the port of Odesa to ensure “vital grain exports can not only reach Europe but also Africa and prevent famine there”.
The prime minister, in his reply, told the Commons the work is being led by the UN but the solution “does not depend upon Russian consent because that may not be forthcoming.”
Meanwhile, the Russian president has instructed his troops to press ahead with the Ukraine invasion after gaining control in Luhansk.
In a televised meeting with defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin said the troops involved in the operation to capture the Luhansk region should rest but that other military units should continue fighting.
The president also congratulated his forces on “liberating” the eastern Ukrainian region, a significant milestone for Moscow in its military campaign in Ukraine.
