LONDON (CU)_The US government on Friday joined the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an effort to increase pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion of Ukraine. The decision came just a day after Russian forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine, assaulting by land, air and see, in the biggest attack by one country against another in Europe since World War Two.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also revealed the United Kingdom’s plans to impose direct sanctions on the Russian leader and his Foreign Minister imminently. During his address to fellow NATO leaders, PM Johnson said his government would sanction the pair over their “revanchist mission” to overturn the post-Cold War order. According to British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the sanctions were introduced in response to Russia’s “illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine”. “We will not stop inflicting economic pain on the Kremlin until Ukrainian sovereignty is restored,” she added.
The UK has also extended a flight ban the transcontinental nation, which means no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace or touchdown. The measures came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the EU, as well as the UK to strengthen its measures against oligarchs supporting the Putin regime. Meanwhile, PM Johnson described the situation as a “Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences”, adding that “the Russian president’s ambitions might not stop there”.
In the early hours of Friday, the British leader held a call with President Zelenskyy, as Russian faces closed in the capital city of Kyiv. The Ukrainian President updated PM Johnson on the “terrible developments” in the city, saying he needs the support of partners “more than ever”. The British Prime Minister assured President Zelenskyy that the world is united “in its horror at what Putin is doing”, as he praised the people of Ukraine for the “bravery and heroism”.
