UK working on ‘high impact’ sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday warned Russia against any further aggression on the Ukrainian border, saying the United Kingdom and its partners were prepared to place “high impact” sanctions on Moscow. 

“We will not accept the campaign Russia is waging to subvert its democratic neighbors,” Truss told Parliament, according to Reuters. “They have falsely cast Ukraine as a threat to justify their aggressive stance.”

“The U.K. is working with our partners on these sanctions, including high impact measures targeting the Russian financial sector and individuals,” Truss added, saying Russia is the “aggressor” in this situation.

Truss said she will be making a visit to Kyiv next month and stated that the only way forward was for Russian President Vladimir Putin to step back.

“It’s vital that NATO is united in pushing back against Russia threatening behavior,” said the British secretary.

Truss’s remarks echoed President Biden’s warnings following a phone call with Putin last week, when he said “severe sanctions” would be issued if Russia invades Ukraine.

“I made it clear to President Putin that if he makes any more moves, if he goes into Ukraine, we will have severe sanctions. We will increase our presence in Europe with our NATO allies. There will be a heavy price to pay for it,” Biden said.

Roughly 100,000 Russian troops are believed to have gathered at the Ukrainian border, raising fears of an invasion similar to when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Putin has so far denied having any plans of invading Ukraine and has demanded assurances from NATO that it will not expand further eastward. 

The U.S. and Russia will engage in bilateral talks aimed at reducing tension around Ukraine starting next week. Russia’s top negotiator on Wednesday said Moscow wants to see progress from security talks with the U.S. within weeks.

Responding to Washington’s strong rhetoric heading into the talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “I hope this is just a negotiating tactic.”