British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that sanctions from the West “may not be enough” to stop a Russian invasion of Ukraine as he accepts President Vladimir Putin is “possibly thinking illogically.”
But a Russian official dismissed predictions of war, accusing Western leaders of “warmongering” and Ukraine of “shelling peaceful populations” in the Donbas region.
It comes as Moscow extended military drills near Ukraine’s northern borders and amid Ukrainian reports that two soldiers were killed by separatists’ shelling.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Johnson said the UK will impose sanctions that are “very damaging and very difficult” for Russia, but it “may not be enough to deter an irrational actor.”
“We have to accept at the moment that Vladimir Putin is possibly thinking illogically about this and doesn’t see the disaster ahead,” he said, adding that it’s “vital” to communicate “what a catastrophe it would be for Russia.”
The prime minister said he believes what Putin wants to see is that NATO is pushed back from its eastern flank bordering Russia, but “he’s going to see the exact opposite” if an invasion is launched.
“If he thinks he’s going to get less NATO as a result of this, he’s totally wrong. He’s going to get more NATO,” Johnson said.
But he denied that an invasion is inevitable, saying only Putin knows what’s going to happen.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, accused the West of “warmongering” by creating an “artificial crisis” in Ukraine.
He told Sky News’ “Trevor Phillips On Sunday” programme that Moscow had the “right to be concerned” by the placement of NATO infrastructure and troops “near our border.”
When Phillips put to him that Putin is “enjoying” the international spotlight, Polyanskiy said, “I think that ‘enjoying’ is not the right word that you can use in these circumstances when we can see absolutely the lack of responsibility on behalf of Western leaders right now, and a lot of scaremongering and warmongering.
“I don’t know anybody who is enjoying this situation in Russia,” he said, labelling the situation in Ukraine an “artificial crisis” and accusing Kyiv of “shelling peaceful populations in Donbas.”
Appeasement
Russia has stationed more than 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine for about a month, but Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that it plans to invade its southern neighbor, claiming that its troops are carrying out planned exercises while threatening unspecified “military-technical measures” if Washington continues to ignore its demands.One sticking point is Ukraine’s potential membership of the NATO defence alliance.
Moscow has asked the United States and its allies for a binding commitment that they won’t accept Ukraine into NATO. Russia also wants the alliance to halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe.
Washington and NATO have rejected those demands, with NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg saying the organisation’s door “remains open” to Ukraine and that the alliance “strongly believe[s] that all nations have the right to choose their own path.”
But NATO countries have maintained they won’t enter Ukraine in the event of an Russian invasion as the security guarantee under Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty is only afforded to its members, which Ukraine currently isn’t.
Although NATO countries pledged sanctions against Russia if it launches an invasion, and other support for Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued the promises are not enough.
“You’re telling me that it’s 100 [percent] that the war will start in a couple of days. Then what [are you] waiting for?” Zelensky said to world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.
“We don’t need your sanctions after the bombardment will happen, and after our country will be fired at, or after we will have no borders, or after we will have no economy, or parts of our country will be occupied. Why would we need those sanctions then?” he said.
“So when you’re asking what can be done, well lots of different things can be done. We can even provide you the list. The most important is willingness,” he said.
The Ukrainian president said the country has the right “to demand to move from the appeasement policy to ensuring the guarantees of security.”
Asked about Zelensky’s comments, Johnson said he doesn’t think the characterisation is “fair.”
“I think that what we’re trying to do is offer every possible support to Ukraine, and to make sure that we hit Russia with the hardest possible package of economic sanctions,” he said.
He said the UK has offered a “massive package of economic support” to Ukraine, which is rising to £100 million ($136 million), and that NATO is “fortifying” its eastern flank.
The UK has also supplied Ukraine with defensive weapons and training support.
