The UK has urged its European allies to have sanctions ready to go if Russia invades Ukraine and said Western unity was vital to deter Moscow.
“We have a hard-hitting package of sanctions ready to go and what I think it would be fair to say is we want to see our European friends ready to deploy that package as soon as there should be any incursion at all by Russia into Ukraine,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement to parliament on Tuesday.
Johnson also accused Moscow of having “placed a gun to Ukraine’s head” as fears rise that Russia could soon attack its neighbour.
Russia has massed some 100,000 troops within reach of Ukraine’s border, but denies planning an invasion. Instead, it has cited the Western response to its military buildup as evidence that Russia is the target of aggression.
On Monday, Washington put 8,500 troops on heightened alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe, potentially at very short notice, and other NATO member states moved to boost their security presence in the region. Moscow hit back at that move, saying the United States was escalating tensions.
