Liz Truss Warns Russian Invasions Might Not End At Ukraine
3 min read
Liz Truss has warned that Russian expansionism may not "stop at Ukraine" as world leaders continue in their attempts to dissuade Moscow from invading its neighbour.
The Foreign Secretary on Tuesday morning told Sky News that Vladimir Putin had questioned why other countries in eastern Europe were in Nato and could decide to attack them, too, should he go ahead with an invasion of Ukraine.
"This I fear is an attack that wouldn’t stop at Ukraine, but would spread to Eastern Europe. Russia says it’s security is being undermined but nobody believes that Russia is under attack," she said.
Boris Johnson will today chair a Cobra meeting today to discuss the latest intelligence regarding the build up of Russian troops at the Ukrainian border, and whether Putin will do as western leaders fear and initiate a ground invasion.
In the Prime Minister's phone call with US President Joe Biden last night, the pair agreed there was still a "crucial window for diplomacy" and urged the Kremlin to "step back from its threats to Ukraine" amid very cautious optimism that Putin can yet be persuaded against an invasion.
However, the pair reiterated their willingness to take serious action against Russia if it goes ahead with an attack on its neighbour, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The leaders emphasised that any further incursion into Ukraine would result in a protracted crisis for Russia, with far reaching damage for both Russia and the world," they said in a statement.
“They agreed that western allies must remain united in the face of Russian threats, including imposing a significant package of sanctions should Russian aggression escalate. They also reiterated the need for European countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, a move which, more than any other, would strike at the heart of Russia’s strategic interests".
In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Truss warned that the UK and western powers could not simply accede to Putin's demands as that would embolden him to carry out more acts of aggression in the future.
“It’s very important that in the face of Russian aggression there isn’t reward for aggression. That would simply encourage more aggression not just by Russia but by others around the world," the Foreign Secretary said.
"It’s very important that there aren’t concessions given over Ukraine’s sovereignty or its decision to become part of Nato".
She said the UK believed an invasion was still "highly likely" but "not certain", reiterating Johnson and Biden's message that there is still an opportunity for diplomacy to prevail.
In a sign of the growing seriousness of the situation on Monday, the Prime Minister cut short a planned tour of Scotland and the north of England, where he was scheduled to discuss the government's levelling-up policy, while Truss briefed over 100 MPs on the latest developments at the Ukrainian border.
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