A warning to Russia
Vladimir Putin this week accused the US of trying to goad Russia into war over Ukraine. In his first public comments on the standoff in more than a month, the Russian president said Washington was using Ukraine as a “tool” to drag Moscow into a conflict that would trigger tough sanctions, and thereby contain Russia’s development. But he said that talks with the US and Nato should continue, to avert a “negative outcome”.
During a visit to Kyiv, Boris Johnson accused
Putin of “holding a gun” to Ukraine’s head while seeking to “redraw the security map of Europe”. Moscow would face sanctions the moment the “first Russian toecap” crossed further into Ukraine, he warned. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss unveiled legislation to strengthen the UK’s sanctions regime by allowing the Government to target Kremlin-linked banks, businesses and oligarchs if Russia invades Ukraine.
What the editorials said
No one can be sure what Putin’s up to, said The Economist – but the stakes could scarcely be higher. A full invasion by Russia, which has 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, would be “Europe’s biggest war since the 1940s”, and the first toppling since then of a democratically elected European government by a foreign invader. That may yet be avoided – but only if the West makes clear to the Kremlin that it is united, open to more talks, and well-prepared for anything Putin could try next.
Alas, said The Independent, some countries have yet to grasp the importance of a united front. Germany has “turned pacifist” (see page 14); France is pursuing its own path through dialogue with Putin; even the US has at times sounded irresolute. That has left Britain to take a leading role – and to its credit, it has. On top of the equipment and training it has already given Ukraine’s army, the UK has pledged £88m of aid to Kyiv to support “stable governance and energy independence”. No wonder “God Save the Queen” has been trending on social media there.