RT.com
23 Jan 2022, 19:42 GMT+10
UK government believes Russia is allegedly planning to invade Ukraine
British authorities are reportedly considering "an opportunity to support the suspension of Russia from the SWIFT international payment system, citing a hypothetical military conflict that could erupt between Russia and Ukraine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson "fears some world leaders may not appreciate the deteriorating picture on the Ukrainian border, or fully comprehend the risks posed by a bullying Russia," The Telegraph reports, citing sources close to the leader.
Over the past few months, a wide range of Western media outlets, along with multiple US officials, have been spreading speculation about an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine. Washington and its allies threatened Kremlin with a new round of 'crippling' sanctions if this happens, citing the movement of Russian troops within the country's vast Western territory as evidence of the plan. Moscow has consistently rejected the allegations, saying that Russia has a right to carry out military maneuvers as it pleases within its borders.
According to the British premier, the potential sanctions against Russia "cannot exclude" Nord Stream 2, the widely debated pipeline that is designed to increase gas supplies to crisis-hit European nations and is currently stuck in a protracted EU certification process.
Johnson is reportedly due to hold calls with G7 leaders to finalise a "sanction coalition" to introduce targeted measures against Russia.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that officials at the UK Foreign Office were told to be ready to move into "crisis mode" at very short notice, as "concerns that Russia's aggression toward Ukraine could escalate into conflict" increased. That reportedly means that officials and diplomats would focus their work on the UK response to any further spike in tensions, including deterrence and sanctions.
On Saturday, London's Foreign Office issued grotesque claims that Moscow was plotting to "install a pro-Russian leader in [Kiev] as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine." Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed the claim, urging the UK to stop spreading "nonsense" and "disinformation."
The idea of cutting Russia off the SWIFT banking network was reportedly considered as one of the options to punish Russia for the military assault they have been warning about, but was rejected by EU and US politicians, Das Handelsblatt reported earlier this week, citing sources close to the matter. The measure might reportedly result in a destabilization of financial markets in the short term and, in the medium term, in the development of an alternative payment infrastructure.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Liverpool Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Liverpool Star.
More InformationMOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
MILAN, Italy: Italian regulators have flagged four non-EU countries—including Russia—as carrying systemic financial risk for domestic...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...