Under certain conditions, Great Britain could offer Russia the prospect of lifting sanctions. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the Sunday Telegraph. The conditions include a halt to the invasion of Ukraine, a ceasefire and “no further aggression”. Then the British sanctions imposed on hundreds of people and organizations could be eased.
Truss: Doubling the number of weapons for Ukraine
“The sanctions should only be lifted if there is a full ceasefire and disengagement, but also if there is a commitment not to engage in further aggression,” Truss said. “There is also the possibility of the sanctions being reintroduced if there is further aggression in the future.”
In consultation with its western partners, London has imposed sanctions on more than a thousand Russian and Belarusian individuals and companies in recent weeks. When dealing with Russia, there must be “hard levers”. “Obviously sanctions are a hard lever. It’s a real leverage that I think can be used,” she added. Truss also called on her country and other allies to “double the sanctions” and “double the weapons we send to Ukraine.”
Russia’s willingness to negotiate peace is not evident
The minister does not see the will to serious negotiations on the part of the Russians at the moment. “I don’t think they are serious right now and that’s why I said we have to be tough to get peace,” Truss added.
The comments echo recent statements by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that sweeping sanctions against Russia are “not permanent” and could “disappear” if Moscow changes its behavior. So far, despite the massive sanctions, diplomatic tensions with the Kremlin over the month-long war in Ukraine have not eased. On the contrary: Only on Saturday did US President Joe Biden describe the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin as a “butcher” who “cannot stay in power”.
