The head of the armed forces has urged British people not to travel to Ukraine to take part in the war with Russia.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin’s said it was “unlawful as well as unhelpful” for anyone from the UK to get involved in the conflict.
His comments put him at odds with foreign secretary Liz Truss, who last week said she would support anyone from Britain who wanted to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces.
She said: “The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe. Because that is what president Putin is challenging.
“And absolutely, if people want to support that struggle, I would support them in doing that.”
But appearing on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme, Radakin said: “Support from the UK, support in whatever way you can. But this isn’t really something that you want to rush to in terms of the sound of gunfire. This is about sensible support based in the UK.”
Asked if Liz Truss should not have said she would support anyone who wanted to fight, he added: “I think she was reflecting (that) she could and that we can all understand that sentiment, and that sentiment needs to be channelled into support for Ukraine.
“But we’re saying as professional military people, that actually that is not necessarily the sensible thing to be doing.”
Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has unveiled a six-point plan aimed at defeating Putin.
He is calling for an international humanitarian coalition to help Ukraine and for the maximum economic pressure to be placed on Putin’s regime.
Johnson will meet with leaders from Canada, the Netherlands and central Europe on Monday as he seeks to bolster the global anti-Putin coalition.
He will tell them that Ukraine must receive more military and humanitarian support if Russia is to be beaten.
“Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression,” the PM will say.
“It is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order – we must defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by military force.
“The world is watching. It is not future historians but the people of Ukraine who will be our judge.”