British Prime Minister Boris Johnson feels a "real emotional connection" with the people of Ukraine and is "desperate" to visit the country, Oliver Dowden, co-chairman of Britain's Conservative Party, said Monday night.
During an interview with LBC Radio, Dowden said all of Britain is experiencing "a real emotional connection with the suffering of the Ukrainian people and a need for the West to unite in standing up to this threat from Russia which has been exposed to Ukraine."
People close to the prime minister have said it's unlikely he will visit Ukraine, The Guardian reports, and Dowden was asked why Johnson would even consider traveling there amid the invasion.
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"Well, I think it's both to see what's going on the ground — because it's very different talking to somebody on the phone versus actually seeing it in practice," Dowden responded. "And by the way, I should say that no decisions have been taken in relation to this. But then secondly, it's actually to experience what is happening there, to see what is happening. To the people on the ground. I think that is very different to just speaking remotely."
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