LONDON:
The United States and Britain would seek to cut off Russian companies’ access to U.S. dollars and British pounds if the Kremlin orders an invasion of Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC. “The plan that we are seeing is for something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945 just in terms of sheer scale,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that sanctions on Russia in the event of an invasion would go much further than previously suggested in public.
He said the United Kingdom and the United States would stop Russian companies “trading in pounds and dollars” – a move that he said would “hit very very hard” with its impact, the BBC reported.
Ukraine urges West to back ‘shield’ against Russia
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday his country was a “shield” against Russia and deserved more support in the face of a feared invasion, as Moscow test-fired nuclear-capable missiles in a show of force, AFP reported. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky condemned “a policy of appeasement” towards Moscow.
“For eight years, Ukraine has been a shield,” said Zelensky, who travelled to Munich despite shelling in his country’s conflict-torn east that left two Ukrainian soldiers dead.
“For eight years, Ukraine has been holding back one of the greatest armies in the world,” he added.
Zelensky called for “clear, feasible timeframes” for Ukraine to join the US-led NATO military alliance — something Moscow has said would be a red line for its security.
But the Ukrainian leader also said he was willing to meet with Vladimir Putin, to find out “what the Russian president wants”.
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