London, Thanasis Gavos
The proposal of the British Foreign Secretary Liz Tras for tougher sanctions against Russian oligarchs in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is submitted to the House of Commons today, as London escalated its rhetoric against Moscow over the weekend.
The measures, according to Ms. Tras, will more fully target Russian economic interests directly linked to the Kremlin. As he characteristically commented on Sunday, the Russian oligarchs “will have nowhere to hide” under the strictest British sanctions. He said the seizure of their property on British soil was not ruled out either.
According to the British Foreign Secretary, London’s goal is to prevent Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. He added that London did not rule out “absolutely nothing” about British support for Ukraine with money and weapons, although he said it was “very unlikely” that British troops would be sent to fight alongside the Ukrainians against the Russians.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the situation in Ukraine was “increasingly worrying”, following a recent briefing from the British Armed Forces. “I continue to urge Russia to engage in negotiations and to avoid a superficial and catastrophic invasion,” the British leader wrote on Twitter.
Downing Street had earlier announced that British officials would travel to Brussels later this week to submit a proposal to NATO for the reinforcement of the British military in Eastern Europe.
Boris Johnson spoke of a package of measures that would send a “clear message” to the Kremlin. The proposal includes doubling the number of British troops to boost NATO support to the Nordic and Baltic countries, sending defense weapons to Estonia and sending fighter jets, warships and military specialists to protect NATO allies.
Britain currently has 900 troops in Estonia, more than 100 military trainers in Ukraine and about 150 troops in Poland.
“We will not tolerate their destabilizing action and we will always stand with our NATO allies in the face of Russian hostility. “If President Putin chooses a path of bloodshed and destruction, it will be a tragedy for Europe,” he said. He added that he had instructed the country’s armed forces to prepare for development in European countries,
Mr Johnson will hold talks with President Putin and travel to the region this week, while the UK’s foreign and defense ministers will visit Moscow in the near future.
On Tuesday, the cabinet will be briefed on the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border by the head of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
The aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy HMS Prince of Wales, which is in the area of ​​the Arctic, the head of NATO’s rapid reaction force, is on standby in case it needs to intervene.
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