- West could cut off Russian companies’ access to US dollars and British pounds if Ukraine is invaded, Boris Johnson warns.
- “The plan we see is for something that could truly be the biggest war in Europe since 1945, just in scale,” he says.
- Sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion would go much further than previously publicly suggested, Johnson says.
LONDON: The United States and Britain would try to cut off Russian companies’ access to US dollars and British pounds if the Kremlin orders an invasion of Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC.
“The plan we see is for something that could truly be the biggest war in Europe since 1945, just in scale,” Johnson said.
Johnson said sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion go much further than previously publicly suggested.
He said the UK and US would stop Russian companies from “trading pounds and dollars” – a move he said would “hit very hard” with its impact, the BBC reported.
Ukraine calls on West to support ‘shield’ against Russia
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was a “shield” against Russia and deserved more support in the face of a feared invasion when Moscow tested nuclear missiles in a show of force, AFP reported.
At the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky condemned “a policy of reconciliation” towards Moscow.
“Ukraine has been a shield for eight years,” said Zelensky, who traveled to Munich despite shelling in the conflict-torn east of his country that killed two Ukrainian soldiers.
“Ukraine has been holding back one of the largest armies in the world for eight years,” he added.
Zelensky called for “clear, achievable deadlines” for Ukraine to join NATO’s US-led military alliance — something Moscow said would be a red line to its security.
But the Ukrainian leader also said he was willing to meet with Vladimir Putin to find out “what the Russian president wants”.
