UK vows to reopen Kyiv embassy, won't act 'passively as Putin carries on this onslaught’
Britain was among countries to evacuate embassy staff from Kyiv prior to Russia military invasion
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Friday that his country plans to reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv next week as he vowed that the "United Kingdom and our allies will not watch passively as Putin carries on this onslaught."
The reopening comes after Britain announced on Feb. 18 – before Russia’s bloody invasion began – that its embassy and staff in Kyiv was relocating temporarily to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
"The extraordinary fortitude and the success of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces in Kyiv, means that I can announce today that we will shortly – next week – re-open our embassy in Ukraine's capital city," Johnson said, according to Reuters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The British embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, is seen on Jan. 24, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Johnson also said Putin made a "catastrophic blunder" by invading Ukraine, but it remained a possibility that Russia could still win there, Reuters reports.
"The situation is, I'm afraid, unpredictable at this stage, but we've just got to be realistic about that," Johnson reportedly said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukrainians hold a banner as they take part at a rally to thank Great Britain for supplying Ukraine with weapons, outside the British Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine on Jan. 21. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He was also quoted as saying that "we’re looking at sending tanks to Poland to help them as they send some of their T-72s [tanks] to Ukraine."
Fox News' Simon Owen contributed to this report.