Britain vowed to impose sanctions on Russia, which it warned could invade Ukraine imminently, condemning President Vladimir Putin's recognition of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as a breach of international law, Report informs via Reuters.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered defensive support in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying while a diplomatic solution should be pursued until the last possible second, the situation was deteriorating.
"The Prime Minister told President Zelensky that he believed an invasion was a real possibility in the coming hours and days," Johnson's office said in a statement following a call between the leaders on February 21.
"He told President Zelensky that the UK had already drawn up sanctions to target those complicit in the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and that those measures would come into force tomorrow. The Prime Minister also said he would explore sending further defensive support to Ukraine, at the request of the Ukrainian government."
Johnson will agree the package of immediate sanctions against Russia at a 10:30 (GMT +4) meeting of the government's crisis response committee (COBR) on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions while Johnson was speaking at a news conference, upping the ante in a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.
"It's a ... flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine," Johnson said at that news conference, prior to the call with Zelenskiy.
"It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements, and I think it's a very ill omen and a very dark sign."
Britain has prepared sanctions against Russia, and Tuesday's sanctions may not be the full extent of the response, with further sanctions in reserve if Putin subsequently decides to invade.