Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested Vladimir Putin's ‘ambitions’ did not stop at Ukraine
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he is adding to a package of measures against Moscow by sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov personally. He made the comments to a virtual meeting of NATO leaders on Friday.
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the announcement in a public statement, saying Johnson is also encouraging NATO countries to push for banning Russia from the SWIFT payment system, which connects financial institutions around the globe.
"The Prime Minister urged leaders to take immediate action against SWIFT to inflict maximum pain on President Putin and his regime,” the spokesperson said, explaining that the latest measures come on top of an earlier sanctions package announced on Thursday.
Johnson accused Putin of “engaging in a revanchist mission to over-turn post-Cold War order.” He said the first wave of sanctions were meant to “hobble” the Russian economy in retaliation for its attack on Ukraine.
The British PM also claimed Putin’s “ambitions” may not stop with Ukraine.
“He warned the [NATO] group that the Russian President’s ambitions might not stop there and that this was a Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences,” the spokesperson for Downing Street said.
The European Union also announced direct sanctions on Putin and his foreign minister on Friday following Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, announcing they’d agreed to freeze Putin and Lavrov assets.
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