UK Govt Threatens ‘Severe Consequences for Russia’ over Ukraine

Ukraine
STEFAN ROUSSEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Nathaniel Charles

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned Russia that if they invade Ukraine then they will face “severe economic sanctions”.

Tensions have increased surrounding Ukraine after Russia mobilised tens of thousands of troops near the Russo-Ukrainian border. Some Western leaders fear that this means Russia could be planning an invasion in early 2022.

Russia has however continued to deny that the increased presence of their soldiers near the Ukrainian border is for future military action.

As a consequence of this perceived Russian hostility, Britain’s Foreign Secretary has warned that  “If Russia were to take that action, it would be a strategic mistake, and there will be severe consequences for Russia.”

The United States has echoed this message, with President Joe Biden warning Putin that there would be economic consequences “like none he’s never seen” if Russia invades Ukraine.

Ms Truss, as well as the United States, have hinted that the creation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will supply natural gas from Russia to Germany, would be included in sanctions if Russia moves into Ukraine.

Truss has frequently criticised the construction of the pipeline, urging NATO allies in November this year to block the pipeline’s creation.

In terms of military intervention, President Biden has said that “unilaterally [using] force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not on the cards right now,” however.

Ukraine, perhaps unsurprisingly, has taken a much blunter stance with Russia, with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stating “there would be a lot of dead Russian soldiers” if Russia decided to invade.

Since Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimea and the emergence of Russian-backed separatist movements in the Donbas, it is estimated that up to 14,000 people have died and around 1.5 million people have been displaced in Ukraine by conflict.

While the Conservative Party-led British government has mentioned that Britain will start looking for alternative gas suppliers to Russia, it is not clear how it might go about applying sanctions to Russia-tied individuals’ investments in Britain.

In 2018 it was estimated that Russian individuals tied to Putin’s government own £1.1 Billion worth of property in Britain.

The opposition Labour Party has also alleged that since Boris’ 2019 premiership, the Conservative Party has received £1.93m in donations to either the central party or individual constituency associations from donors who have made money in Russia or are Russian.

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