In a statement British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, there is a choice coming soon on whether London will back Russian hydrocarbons or support Ukraine, and back stability and peace.

His statement comes midst rising tensions between the West and Moscow.

Earlier yesterday, France and Germany warned Russia against harming Ukraine’s territorial integrity midst an unusual concentration of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s positioning of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border comes at a time when Europe is experiencing an energy crunch; Putin is hoping German authorities will soon certify the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will carry more Russian gas to Europe’s biggest economy.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline bypasses transit countries, including Ukraine, which has a history of gas pricing standoffs with Moscow.

“So when we say that we support the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, that is not because we want to be adversarial to Russia, or that we want in some way strategically to encircle or undermine that great country,” said Johnson.

He went on to add, “We hope that our friends may recognize that a choice is shortly coming between mainlining ever more Russian hydrocarbons in giant new pipelines, and sticking up for Ukraine and championing the cause of peace and stability. When our Polish friends asked for our help to deal with a contrived crisis on their border with Belarus, we were quick to respond”.

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