The UK is to hit Russia with a “first barrage” of economic sanctions as Boris Johnson warned Vladimir Putin is fixed on a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s emergency COBRA committee, which began at 6.30am, the prime minister warned the Russian president was aiming for “the over-running, the subjugation of an independent, sovereign European country”.
Read live updates – UK imposing ‘immediate’ sanctions on Russia after Putin ‘tears up international law’
Mr Putin on Monday night recognised two breakaway areas of eastern Ukraine as independent states and ordered Russian forces to carry out “peacekeeping” duties in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukraine key developments:
• Tanks seen on roads near city of Donetsk overnight
• International condemnation at UN Security Council as Putin recognises independence of separatist regions
• Kyiv says it will ‘not give in to provocation’
• EU and US also ready to impose sanctions
The PM said Russia and Mr Putin had now “plainly” violated Ukrainian sovereignty.
“He’s sent troops in, he’s broken international law, he’s repudiated the Minsk agreements, and torn up the understanding from Budapest in 1994 that Ukraine’s territorial integrity would be respected,” he said.
“He’s completely torn up international law and we will immediately institute a package of economic sanctions, which I think his people would expect.
“Targeted not just at entities in Donbass, in Luhansk and Donestsk, but in Russia itself targeting Russian economic interests as hard as we can.”
PM warns ‘more irrational behaviour to come’ from Russia
Mr Johnson is due to set out further details of the fresh sanctions in the House of Commons later on Tuesday.
He said…
Source : skynews
