UK Foreign Secretary warns Russia it will face economic consequences if Ukraine invaded

UK Foreign Secretary warns Russia it will face economic consequences if Ukraine invaded
December 11, 2021, 4:28 am

Liz Truss-Foreign Ministe/Foreign Commonwealth and Development official Facebook page

The BBC reported, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned Russia it will face "severe economic consequences" if it invades Ukraine.

She said G7 foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool this weekend would put on a show of unity and make clear such a move would be a "strategic mistake".

Ms Truss said the UK and its allies had to "deter Russia from taking that course of action".

Tensions are growing as Moscow amasses troops on Ukraine's border - but the Kremlin has denied it plans to invade.

Reiterating previous warnings from the US and its allies, Ms Truss said the G7 "are going to absolutely be strong in our stance against aggression... with respect to Ukraine".

Russia-Moscow-The Kremlin/Pixabay

She added: "If Russia were to take that action, it would be a strategic mistake, and there will be severe consequences for Russia.

"And what we're doing this weekend is working with like-minded allies to spell that out."

The BBC noted that Ukraine shares borders with both the EU and Russia, but as a former Soviet republic it has deep social and cultural ties with Russia.

Ahead of the G7 meeting, Ms Truss held talks with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in London.

Asked if she could rule out a military response to Russian aggression, Ms Truss said the UK was working with Ukraine on "defence and security capability".

"We are providing them with support," she said. "We are also working to help them with their energy resilience. So they're not solely dependent on Russian energy supplies. And that is the way ultimately that we will help support Ukraine."

Ms Truss said the UK and EU were trying to ensure Western economies were less dependent on Russian energy.

The foreign secretary said the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Germany and Russia would be "a problem" if Russia invaded Ukraine.

It would be an issue to discuss with her new German counterpart at the G7 talks.

Ms Truss said: "We absolutely need to reduce dependence on Russian gas and energy. And this should be part of an overall strategy of reducing dependence on non market economies, reducing dependence on malign actors, and making sure that the free world is able to have that strategic independence it needs to survive and thrive."

Source: BBC

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