The new sanctions, which are targeted personally at Putin and Lavrov, will see any UK-based assets frozen immediately and UK companies will be barred from providing goods, services or assets to them in future, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be hit with an assets freeze as part of the UK’s punitive sanctions regime to degrade Russia’s economy and military infrastructure, the UK government has announced.
On the same day, Washington also confirmed that it will sanction Putin and Lavrov “in alignment with the decision by our European allies.” European Union had also announced sanctions targeting the top Russian leadership earlier on Friday.
The new sanctions, which are targeted personally at Putin and Lavrov, will see any UK-based assets frozen immediately and UK companies will be barred from providing goods, services or assets to them in future.
“These new sanctions send a clear message that nothing and no one is off the table,” said Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. “These measures reflect the horror and gravity of what Putin and his regime has done, violating the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation with an illegal and unjustified invasion.”
The latest announcement follows a sweeping package of financial sanctions targeting Russian banks, oligarchs and key strategic businesses, as well as territorial hosanctions and restrictions on sovereign debt announced on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that the United Kingdom will work for as long as it takes to ensure the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is restored, adding that the National flag of Ukraine flies over Downing Street.
“The national flag of Ukraine flies over Downing Street. The United Kingdom will work for as long as it takes to ensure that the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is restored,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a Tweet.
Meanwhile, he pledged that the UK will provide further support to Kiev “in the coming days.”
“The Prime Minister committed to providing further UK support to Ukraine in the coming days,” Johnson’s office said in the readout of the telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday morning.
According to the statement cited by Sputnik News Agency, Zelensky updated Johnson on the most recent developments in Ukraine and the “terrible developments in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky suggested to Putin that they sit down at the negotiation table amid escalating tensions over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
“I would like to address the president of Russia once again … let us sit down at the negotiation table to stop people dying,” Zelenskyy said in a video address, Sputnik News Agency reported.
Zelensky urged European countries to demand stoppage of “the war”.
Leaders from a number of countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. They have also imposed heavy sanctions on Russia.
The new package of sanctions aims to cut Russia off from the US financial markets and includes freezing the assets of four major Russian banks, including VTB Bank, the nation’s second-biggest bank.
Co-ordinated with the US, this is the single biggest financial sanction in history. Individuals and companies whose assets are frozen will be unable to undertake any business in the UK or with UK nationals.
As part of the sanctions, Russian companies will be prevented from borrowing on the UK markets, effectively ending the ability of those companies closest to Putin to raise finance in the UK. This is in addition to banning the Russian state itself from raising funds in the UK, as previously announced.
Also, designated banks will be prevented from accessing Sterling and clearing payments through the UK. Banks subject to this measure will be unable to process any payments through the UK or have access to UK financial markets.
Another ban was also imposed on the export of a range of high-end and critical technical equipment and components in sectors including electronics, telecommunications, and aerospace.