Sanctions will be ready if Russia attacks Ukraine: Johnson

Gulf Today Report

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said sanctions and other measures will be ready in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine, and his government will ask parliament for sanctions on Russian individuals and companies.

Writing in “The Times” on Tuesday, Johnson said Britain is considering deploying Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters and Royal Navy warships to protect southeastern Europe.

Russia already has 110,000 troops on its ex-Soviet neighbor's frontiers, nearly 70 percent of the 150,000 needed for a full-scale invasion, which could be launched by mid-February, according to the intelligence.

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Faced with accusations of "alarmism" over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Washington is on the defensive over the credibility of its warnings, even as it keeps certain cards close to its chest.

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"This is not alarmism. This is simply the facts," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday in a press conference.

Johnson also said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will both travel to Moscow soon.

His comments come as officials in the United States say an attack by Russia on Ukraine could occur within days or weeks.

"British sanctions and other measures will be ready for any renewed Russian attack," Johnson wrote.

"The government will ask parliament for new powers to sanction a wider range of Russian individuals and entities, including any company linked to the Russian state or operating in a sector of strategic importance to the Kremlin."