New Delhi: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA) on Tuesday morning as the UK plans further sanctions on Moscow, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognise two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
The meeting comes as UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said given that tanks have been seen near one of those regions of Donetsk, it can be concluded that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.
According to a report by news agency Reuters, UK health minister Sajid Javid said that it is clear Russian president Vladimir Putin has decided to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine and believes an invasion has already begun.
Javid further said, "We are waking up to a very dark day in Europe and it’s clear from what we have already seen and found out today that the Russians, President Putin, has decided to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity."
The health secretary told Sky News, "We have seen that he has recognised these breakaway eastern regions in Ukraine and from the reports we can already tell that he has sent in tanks and troops. From that, you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.”
Britain has threatened to cut off Russian companies' access to US dollars and British pounds, blocking them from raising capital in London.
Britain has not clarified yet about what would fall under the sanctions but has pledged that "there would be nowhere for Russian oligarchs to hide". Johnson has said targets could include Russian banks, according to the Reuters report.
Javid said sanctions will be announced in a statement to parliament by Johnson.
"I'm sure that we'll make those sanctions as targeted as possible to the people that are responsible for this flagrant violation of international law," Javid said.