'Vladimir Putin has blood on his hands', Liz Truss will say in blistering UN address

Vladimir Putin has ‘blood on his hands’, Liz Truss will say today at a UN summit.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will visit British troops defending Nato’s eastern border with Russia.

In a speech in Geneva, the Foreign Secretary will condemn Putin’s brutal tactics and accuse him of ‘murdering Ukrainians indiscriminately’.

Miss Truss will say: ‘The consequences of Vladimir Putin’s unjustified aggression are horrific. 

‘Russian troops are laying siege to once peaceful cities. Tanks are tearing through towns while missiles barrage homes and hospitals. 

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will accuse Putin of of having ‘blood on his hands’ at a UN summit, going further than most Western leaders, even suggesting Putin could stand trial for war crimes 

‘Putin is murdering Ukrainians indiscriminately. There is blood on his hands, not just of innocent Ukrainians but the men he sent to die.’

She will hint at potential war crimes prosecutions, accusing the Russian president of ‘violating international law, including the UN Charter’.

The Foreign Secretary will continue: ‘He is violating human rights on an industrial scale and the world will not stand for it. 

‘There are no shades of grey. It is about right and wrong. This is Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war against a sovereign nation.’

Miss Truss will use today’s meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss relief for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. 

Her comments go further than most other senior Western figures in condemning Putin’s growing use of indiscriminate weapons in heavily populated civilian areas.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday pulled out of the UN conference, where he was expected to face condemnation, saying EU travel sanctions meant he could no longer attend. 

Miss Truss warned MPs yesterday that ‘Putin’s war could end up lasting months and years’ but insisted inspiring Ukrainian resistance coupled with Western resolve would ensure he eventually failed.

‘Putin must lose,’ she said. ‘We are doing everything we can to stop him and to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty.’

Her comments came as Mr Johnson prepared to travel to eastern Europe today for talks in Poland and Estonia, two Nato nations fearful they could be next on Putin’s hit list.

In Estonia, he will visit British troops serving as part of Nato operations to deter further Russian aggression and also meet Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg. 

‘There are no shades of grey. It is about right and wrong. This is Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war against a sovereign nation’, Liz Truss will say at a UN summit

Speaking ahead of his trip, the Prime Minister said: ‘I will visit two countries that are acutely affected by the crisis in Ukraine.

‘We have shared values that are more important than ever to protect.’

Yesterday he told the Cabinet it was ‘becoming clearer with each day that Putin had made a colossal mistake’ as the ‘Ukrainian people had put up a fierce resistance in defence of their homeland’.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson discussed the latest intelligence suggesting Russia’s advance had also been hit ‘by logistical problems’.