US plans sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s inner circle if Russia moves on Ukraine - Financial Times

The US has drawn up sanctions targeting Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and its ties to the west as Washington broadens the list of financial penalties it and European allies will impose if Russia invades Ukraine.

The move comes as the UK vowed on Monday to introduce new legislation strengthening London’s ability to target Kremlin-linked businesses and their owners in the country in case of Russian aggression on Ukraine.

Senior US administration officials told the Financial Times that a list of individuals and family members that would be hit with sanctions had been developed in co-ordination with US allies as part of the effort to punish the Russian president in the event of an attack.

“The individuals we have identified are in or near the inner circles of the Kremlin and play a role in government decision making or are at a minimum complicit in the Kremlin’s destabilising behaviour,” the US officials said.

The administration officials did not name the Russian oligarchs and family members in question but said that many were “particularly vulnerable targets because of their deepened financial ties with the west”.

“Sanctions would cut them off from the international financial system and ensure that they and their family members will no longer be able to enjoy the perks of parking their money in the west and attending elite western universities,” the senior Biden administration officials said.

The measures to target Russian oligarchs would come in addition to broader sanctions against sectors of Russia’s economy, including banking and energy, that the US and its allies have been discussing for weeks.

On Monday, British government officials said that, under new legislation, the UK would be able to act in “lockstep with the US and other allies to freeze assets and ban travel”.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Liz Truss, UK foreign minister, said: “We will be able to target any company that is linked to the Russian state, engages in business of economic significance to the Russian state or operates in a sector of strategic significance to the Russian state.”

In Washington, senior Biden administration officials said the targets had been chosen among Russian leaders, officials, senior executive officers or members of the boards of directors of state-owned companies. They could be operating in “any sector of the Russian economy as identified by the Secretary of the Treasury”, and extended to spouses and children.

The US officials said some of the individuals were selected from a classified list of senior political figures and Russian oligarchs sent to Congress by the Treasury department in 2018, known as Section 241 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law enacted in 2017.

“Putin’s cronies will no longer be able to use their spouses or other family members as proxies to evade sanctions,” the senior administration officials said.

The UK’s parallel effort focusing on oligarchs will be particularly important to the US given that many members of the Russian elite have assets and other financial ties in Britain.

“The US and UK are in lockstep and we are prepared — in co-ordination with other allies and partners — to impose massive costs if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia knows that. We welcome the UK’s strong partnership on enforcing existing sanctions for malicious activity and in preparing packages of strong economic measures to deter further Russian aggression,” a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council told the Financial Times.

The penalties against Russia’s elite do not preclude Washington from imposing sanctions that directly target Putin, which Biden said was a possibility last week.

“This is not the exhaustive list of costs we will impose. All options remain on the table,” the senior administration officials said.

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2022-01-31 19:00:59Z
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Ukraine-Russia tensions: UK threatens tougher sanctions in event of aggression - BBC News

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Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced new legislation to expand the UK's sanctions regime in the event of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Currently the government can only impose sanctions on those directly linked to Russian actions in Ukraine.

But the new powers will allow it to target a much broader range of individuals and businesses.

Russia said the threat of more sanctions would backfire, hurting British companies and shareholders.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it "an undisguised attack on business" and said it would lead to retaliatory measures "based on our interests".

Russia has placed an estimated 100,000 troops, tanks, artillery and missiles near Ukraine's frontiers, but denies it plans to invade the former Soviet republic, which also borders the European Union.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Ms Truss said the legislation - which will be in place by 10 February - would not impose sanctions automatically but provide for additional powers "in the event of any further Russian incursion into Ukraine".

The Foreign Office says the new measures will allow the UK to act "in lockstep with the US and other allies to freeze assets and ban travel".

"We will make sure that those who share responsibility for the Kremlin's aggressive and destabilising action will share in bearing a heavy cost," Ms Truss said.

"Their assets in the UK will be frozen. No UK business or individual would be able to transact with them. And should they seek to enter the UK, they would be turned back."

"Those in and around the Kremlin will have nowhere to hide," she added.

Ms Truss said that the measures amounted to the toughest sanctions regime against Russia yet and were the biggest change in approach by the UK since Brexit.

Reports suggest the US has also drawn up a list of individuals and relatives who could face sanctions.

Ms Truss's statement came as the United Nations Security Council met at the request of the US to discuss Russia's troop build-up.

US President Joe Biden released a statement at the start of the meeting warning Russia of "severe consequences" if it chose to "walk away from diplomacy".

Russia had tried to block the meeting, with its UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya accusing Washington of unacceptable interference in its affairs and attempts to whip up hysteria.

Ms Truss has previously spoken of a "real threat" of Russia invading Ukraine, which she says would be "terrible for Europe".

The UK is also sending weapons to Ukraine and offering extra support to nearby Nato allies.

Russia-Ukraine tensions: The basics

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• Is Russia preparing to invade?
• Why Germany isn't sending weapons to Ukraine
• Ukraine: How big is Russia's military build-up?
• How will we know if war has started?

Ms Truss was due to visit President Zelensky in Ukraine on Tuesday with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

But on Monday night she announced on Twitter that she had tested positive for Covid-19 and would be working from home while she isolates.

She is also due to visit Moscow within the next two weeks.

In the statement earlier on Monday Ms Truss said the UK had already trained 20,000 troops in Ukraine, supplied anti-tank missiles, and given support to its navy and energy sector.

The UK has more than 900 military personnel based in Estonia and more than 100 in Ukraine as part of a training mission, while a light cavalry squadron numbering about 150 is deployed to Poland.

Russia wants the West to promise Ukraine will never join Nato, in which members promise to come to another's aid in the event of an armed attack, but the US has rejected that demand.

Nato's 30 members include the US and UK, as well as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - former Soviet republics which border Russia. Moscow sees Nato troops in eastern Europe as a direct threat to its security.

Mr Putin has long argued the US broke a guarantee it made in 1990 that Nato would not expand further east, though interpretations differ over exactly what was promised.

Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It is also backing rebels who seized large swathes of the eastern Donbas region soon afterwards, and some 14,000 people have died in fighting there.

• HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE WE FOLLOW? The dark side of our obsession with social media
• ONE OF THE BIGGEST MURDER INVESTIGATIONS IN MET POLICE HISTORY: The Nilsen Files on BBC iPlayer

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2022-01-31 21:15:50Z
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North Korea confirms test launch of biggest ballistic missile in years - Sky News

North Korea has confirmed it has launched a ballistic missile and released photos it claims were taken from space during the weapon's test.

The launch of the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was first reported by South Korean and Japanese authorities.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA released a set of images showing both the launch of the missile and photos of Earth it says were taken from a camera installed on the missile's warhead.

Image: North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un, pictured in Pyongyang in December last year Pic: AP

It was the seventh test conducted by North Korea this month and the first time a nuclear-capable missile of that size has been launched since 2017.

North Korea has previously said the Hwasong-12 can carry a "large-size heavy nuclear warhead", and analysts estimate it has a range of 2,800 miles (4,500km).

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Sunday's test "confirmed the accuracy, safety, and operational effectiveness of the produced Hwasong-12 type weapon system", North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.

State media coverage of the launch made no mention of the United States, and leader Kim Jong Un was not reported to have attended.

More on Kim Jong Un

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North Korean officials said this month the tests are for self defence and not targeted at any specific country.

However, the range of the missile is sufficient to reach Guam, home to US military bases that in past times of tensions sent advanced warplanes to the Korean Peninsula in shows of force.

In August 2017, at the height of animosities with the then-Trump administration, North Korea threatened to make "an enveloping fire" near Gaum with Hwasong-12 missiles.

The US is concerned North Korea's escalating missile tests could be precursors to resumed tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and vowed an unspecified response "designed to show our commitment to our allies", a senior US official told Reuters reporters in Washington.

Some experts say North Korea's recent testing spree is meant to win sanction relief or international recognition as a legitimate nuclear state.

North Korea has said it is open to diplomacy, but that Washington's overtures are undermined by its support for sanctions and joint military drills and arms build-ups in South Korea and the region.

Amid a flurry of diplomacy in 2018, including summits with Donald Trump, Mr Kim declared his nuclear force complete and said he would suspend nuclear testing and launches of the country's longest-range missiles.

Image: A railway-born missile is launched during firing drills according to state media on 14 January

He said he was no longer bound by that moratorium after talks stalled in 2019, and North Korea suggested this month it could restart those testing activities because the US had shown no sign of dropping its "hostile policies".

It is unclear if IRBMs such as the Hwasong-12 were included in Mr Kim's moratorium, but none had been tested since 2017.

South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook visited his country's Army Missile Command on Monday to check its readiness in the face of the North Korean launches, the ministry said in a statement.

"North Korea's series of missile test-fires, including intermediate-range ballistic missiles, pose a direct and serious threat to us and a grave challenge to international peace and stability," Suh said after being briefed. "We will maintain a full military readiness posture that can respond immediately to any situation."

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2022-01-31 10:14:54Z
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Live news: Former prime minister Theresa May leads MPs' criticism of Johnson over Gray report - Financial Times

Constellation Automotive Holdings, the owner of WeBuyAnyCar and cinch, has taken a 20 per cent stake in car dealership Lookers, just weeks after agreeing a takeover of rival Marshall Motors.

The company, which owns the British Car Auctions marketplace, has been building up parts of its automotive offering, opening used car buying service cinch during the pandemic.

Were Constellation to control both Marshalls and Lookers, it would become one of the largest car dealerships in the UK.

Most of the 78m Lookers shares, making up a 19.9 per cent stake, were purchased at 102p a share from Tony Bramall, who stepped down as a non-executive director last month after a 14-year stint at the UK car dealership.

Constellation notified Lookers of its investment, Lookers said on Monday, and indicated its support for the group’s “recently outlined strategy and senior leadership”, the statement said on Monday.

“We are delighted to welcome Constellation as a significant shareholder of the group,” said Ian Bull, Lookers chair. “Their investment endorses the board’s view that the group remains significantly undervalued. As outlined in our recent announcement, trading performance is strong, with an excellent new car order bank and the group has a clear strategic framework.”

Shares in Lookers rose 1.5 per cent in early trading on Monday to 89.9p. They have more than doubled over the past 12 months.

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2022-01-31 16:09:46Z
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In eastern Ukraine, war-weary soldiers and civilians await Russia's next move - BBC News

The front lines of Eastern Ukraine are snow-laden and the big guns are largely silent. But snipers are bedded into this winter white wasteland. Ukrainian troops who forget to stay low in their World War One-style trenches risk a bullet to the head.

The conflict here has been frozen in place since 2014, when separatists, backed by Moscow, seized parts of the Donbas region. At least 13,000 people have been killed, both combatants and civilians. Now Western leaders are warning of something much worse - a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. If it comes, the eastern front would be an easy place to start, with the pro-Russian rebels here paving the way.

Maria was trying not to stress about all that. The 26-year-old Ukrainian soldier, talkative and slight, was in her trench, armed with a Kalashnikov and a perfect manicure. She's part of Ukraine's 56th infantry brigade. (The army asked us to stick to her first name, to prevent trolling on social media.)

"I try to avoid politics and not to watch TV, I try not to get too worried," Maria said. "But we are ready. We have had a lot of training. I understand that it won't be like a training exercise, it will be hard for everyone. But our morale is high and we are standing our ground."

Maria has a band of brothers. Two served in Ukraine's national guard. Her youngest brother will soon be heading to the front line, as a tank gunner. Back home her retired parents are caring for her four-year-old son.

"It was very hard to leave him," she said. "But since I was six years old my dream was to join the army. I didn't think that I would end up on the frontline, but I don't regret that I am here." Nearby, one of her brothers in arms chopped wood with an axe. The cold is a constant threat, like the separatists about a kilometre away.

Maria walked through a warren of tunnels to her home away from home, a berth below ground. Brightly coloured children's drawings were stuck to the mud walls. "These come from different schools, as a thank you," she said. "It helps to boost our morale."

Maria's war is about the future of her homeland, but there may be far more at stake than the fate of Ukraine. Russia is drawing battle lines in a new Cold war. At issue now is the future shape of Nato, and the established security order in Europe.

US President Joe Biden has warned of a "distinct possibility" that Russia will invade in February and by doing so "change the world". The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson has invoked the horrors of Chechnya and Bosnia. But the soaring international concern is at odds with what you hear from some Ukrainians.

• What is Nato and why doesn't Russia trust it?
• Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine?
• How big is the Russian military build-up?

"I don't believe the Russians will come," said a social worker in the east, who did not want us to use her name. "I believe my eyes and my ears. It's actually quieter here now than last month. This is just an information war." This 'nothing-to-see-here' refrain is echoed regularly by Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

But some here are afraid. "Every time I hear a noise my heart pounds," said Ludmilla Momot, a 64-year-old great grandmother with a gold-tipped front tooth. Momot knows only too well what Moscow and its allies can do. Her home of 30 years, in the village of Nevilske, was destroyed last November by separatist shelling. She returned to Nevilske, now a ghost town, to show us the wreckage.

"This is a wound that will last for the rest of my life," she said through tears, glancing at the gaping hole where her front door used to be. "I had to crawl out over the rubble in my nightgown. My feet were bloody. It is the eighth year of the war, how long can our suffering continue?"

I asked the retired milk maid if there was anything she would like to say to President Putin. "Make peace," she said. "Reach an agreement. You are all adults, educated people. Make peace so that people can live freely, without tears and suffering."

In the modern-day version of war and peace, the Russian leader's end game remains unclear. Has he massed around 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border to force concessions from NATO - for which read the United States - or to seize another chunk of the country?

One possible scenario is a limited incursion, with forces only sent into Eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin would likely try to present them as "peacekeepers", protecting Russian passport holders. Moscow has been busy issuing hundreds of thousands of passports in separatist held territory.

Ukrainian troops insist that if the Russians come, it won't be as easy as annexing the Crimean peninsula in 2014. "We are better prepared this time," said Alyona, a soldier stationed in the East. "I doubt the Russians will invade. They want to create panic and use it as leverage," she said.

Even if there is no ground invasion - and Moscow insists there won't be - damage has already been done. The international chorus of concern about a possible invasion is destabilising this vast Western-looking nation.

President Putin has already achieved a victory, without firing a shot, by weakening the neighbouring state he covets, and forcing the international community to hang on his every word.

But many Western leaders fear he won't be satisfied with that.

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2022-01-30 14:32:07Z
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US East Coast blanketed by 'bombogenesis' snowstorm - BBC News

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The US East Coast is being battered by the first major blizzard to hit the region in four years.

Five states declared an emergency hours before heavy snow and hurricane-force winds blasted the area.

Experts warn of "historic" snowfall in some places and flood warnings have been issued near the coast. More than 5,000 US flights have been cancelled.

As the storm arrived, more than 116,000 households across Massachusetts were without power.

Forecasters say there is a chance the storm, known as a Nor'easter, will blanket the Boston area with up to 2ft (61cm) of snow, and up to 1ft (30cm) of snow has already fallen in parts of New York.

The current record of 27.6in (70cm) within 24 hours was set in 2003.

Gusts as strong as 60-75mph (96-120km/h) have been forecast along the coastline.

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Experts say the storm will undergo bombogenesis, meaning that colder air is expected to mix with warmer sea air, leading to a swift drop in atmospheric pressure. The process leads to a so-called bomb cyclone.

"Travel should be restricted to emergencies only," warned the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boston.

"If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle."

The powerful storm began to hit the country's coast in the early hours of Saturday morning, with inches of snowfall already blanketing a number of states.

Bryce Williams, a meteorologist based in the state, told the New York Times the heaviest would hit there by Saturday evening before conditions clear up across the weekend.

"If you don't have to be out and about, we're trying to say: Stay home until Sunday," he told the newspaper.

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Reuters

Winds are expected to strengthen, possibly reaching hurricane-level speeds, according to the NWS and Accuweather. A blizzard warning has been issued throughout the north-east, the first time such an alert has been issued since 2018.

• WATCH: What a 'bomb cyclone' looks like

The governors of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia declared states of emergency, telling residents to stay off the roads for their own safety.

75 million people are in the path of the storm, according to CBS News.

New York Mayor Eric Adams cancelled outdoor dining for Saturday, as well as vaccine appointments, but struck an optimistic tone when telling reporters that the city was handling the storm like "a well-oiled machine".

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said that the storm "could be life-threatening" and suggested that residents stay home "with a six pack of beer and wait it out".

Police in New Jersey's Atlantic City pleaded with residents not to "make it harder on our first responders by venturing out", while Governor Phil Murphy said that the state's famous shoreline "is getting getting clobbered" by the storm.

In Connecticut bus operations have been suspended until Sunday, while Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has announced the closure of several bridges due to "dangerous conditions".

Florida is also expected to see some of its coldest temperatures in years, leading to iguanas - a cold-blooded lizard species - to become immobilised and fall out of trees.

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Empics

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2022-01-29 17:53:40Z
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Ukraine crisis: Russian attack would be 'horrific', US warns - BBC News

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Top US General Mark Milley has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and would lead to a significant number of casualties.

Gen Milley described the build-up of 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's border as the largest since the Cold War.

But US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said conflict could still be avoided through the use of diplomacy.

Russia denies plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is a threat.

At a news conference at the Pentagon on Friday, Gen Milley - US President Joe Biden's most senior military officer - warned that the scale of Russia's forces near its border with Ukraine meant an attack would have severe consequences.

"If that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties," said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Fighting in dense urban areas would be "horrific, it would be terrible", Gen Milley added.

'Not inevitable'

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US was committed to helping Ukraine defend itself, including by providing more weaponry.

"Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy," Mr Austin said, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the situation.

"There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict... He can order his troops away," he added.

Also on Friday, President Biden said he would send a small number of troops to Eastern Europe in the "near term", to strengthen the Nato presence in the region. He did not specify where they would be stationed or when they would arrive.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon said there were 8,500 combat-ready troops on alert, ready to be deployed at short notice.

• Why Germany isn't sending weapons to Ukraine
• What is Nato and why doesn't Russia trust it?
• Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine?
• How big is the Russian military build-up?

The US has rejected a key Moscow demand that Nato rule out Ukraine joining the defence alliance - but insisted it was offering Russia a "serious diplomatic path".

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of ignoring Russia's security concerns.

But he said he would study the US response before deciding what to do, according to a Kremlin readout of a call between Mr Putin and his French counterpart.

France said the two leaders had agreed on the need to de-escalate and that its President Emmanuel Macron had told Mr Putin that Russia must respect the sovereignty of its neighbouring states.

Reuters

'Don't create panic'

The warnings from the Pentagon come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters not to create panic over the build-up of Russian troops on his country's borders.

At a news conference in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he did not see a greater threat now than during a similar massing of troops last spring.

"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic - how much does it cost for our state?"

The "destabilisation of the situation inside the country" was the biggest threat to Ukraine, he said.

Diplomacy intensifies by the day. Everyone wants to be seen to be doing something but they don't want to do it - they don't want their own troops on the ground fighting a war in Ukraine against Russia.

Everyone has their own interest: President Biden is post-Afghanistan pullout debacle; Germany is post-Angela Merkel; Britain is post-Brexit, trying to carve out its own way in the world; and President Macron of France is pre-elections in the spring.

But they all want to prevent a war on Europe's doorstep; all want to stop President Putin's efforts to reshape this region. President Zelensky's extraordinary outburst asking everyone to calm down underlined the risks of escalating rhetoric. But he was equally clear: if this war escalates in Ukraine it will spill across borders, there will be proxy wars.

So telephone lines are burning. President Biden had his call with President Putin. President Macron had his. Now it seems Prime Minister Johnson will have his telephone moment too.

President Putin is where he wants to be - at the centre of world attention. In the dead of a very cold winter in the depths of a very old crisis, there's little clarity about the days ahead. No one can afford to lose, but it's not yet clear how they'll all pull back from this brink.

Russia last month made wide-ranging security demands from the West, including that:

• Ukraine should be barred from joining Nato
• Nato should end military activity in eastern Europe, pulling troops out of Poland and the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• The alliance should not deploy missiles in countries near or bordering Russia

The US and Nato responded by saying Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies, but offered Russia talks on missile placements and other issues.

If Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would not be the first time.

Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It is also backing rebels who seized large swathes of the eastern Donbas region soon afterwards, and some 14,000 people have died in fighting there.

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2022-01-29 09:15:45Z
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Ukraine-Russia tensions: Boris Johnson to call Vladimir Putin and visit Eastern Europe to 'accelerate diplomatic efforts' - Sky News

Boris Johnson will step up his presence in the Russia-Ukraine crisis by holding a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting the region "in the coming days".

The prime minister will "ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed" between the two former Soviet states and is determined to "accelerate diplomatic efforts" during the trip, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

"He will reiterate the need for Russia to step back and engage diplomatically when he speaks to President Putin this week," she added.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said he was planning to move US troops to Eastern Europe and NATO countries "in the near term", adding that the number would be "not a lot".

The Pentagon has placed about 8,500 US troops on standby for possible deployment to Europe, while President Putin has amassed a force of around 100,000 Russian troops to its border with Ukraine.

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Image: Ukrainian soldiers take part in coastal defence drills in the Odessa region, Ukraine

Tougher sanctions expected

Last week, Mr Johnson asked defence and security chiefs to consider further defensive military options in Europe during a high-level intelligence briefing.

More on Boris Johnson

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This weekend, he will consider a range of options to alleviate Russian aggression in the region, including further deployments and bolstering NATO's defences.

Tougher sanctions are expected to be announced by the Foreign Office on Monday, allowing the UK to target Russia's strategic and financial interests.

Image: Russian tanks take part in drills in the Rostov region

Russia says Truss will visit Moscow

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister said Liz Truss had "agreed a date" to visit Moscow within the next two weeks.

The foreign secretary has repeatedly spoken out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Last week, she declassified intelligence that suggested Mr Putin was plotting to install a pro-Moscow leader as head of Ukraine's government.

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1:54

'Are you downplaying risk of Russian attack?'

Ukrainian president says media gives impression country is already at war

It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the media gave the impression Russia was already at war with Ukraine.

"There are no tanks in the streets," he told reporters on Friday.

"But media give the impression, if one is not here, that we have a war, that we have army in the streets... That's not the case. We don't need this panic."

Image: The Royal Danish Air Force sent four F-16 fighter jets and crew to Lithuania to help bolster patrols over the Baltic region

Biden warns of 'distinct possibility' Russia could take military action in February

Earlier in the week, President Biden warned President Zelenskyy there was a "distinct possibility" Russia could take military action against the country in February.

Similarly, the Kremlin said it saw "little ground for optimism" in resolving the crisis after the US rejected Russia's main demands again.

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"President Biden said that there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February," White House National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.

"He has said this publicly and we have been warning about this for months."

Chris Philp, a minister in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, told Sky News there was "deep concern" about the "unprecedented" build-up of Russian troops on the border, particularly after units from the east of Russia redeployed to the region.

"I think it is a very serious situation," he said.

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2022-01-29 04:42:40Z
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