British PM says it’s ‘inconceivable’ that Russia will host the Champions League final

Russia should not be allowed to host football events like the Champions League final after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday. (22).

Asked about the Champions League final scheduled for May in St Petersburg, Johnson told lawmakers: “I find it inconceivable that major international football tournaments could take place in Russia after … the invasion of a sovereign country.”

Johnson announced sanctions against five Russian banks and three top Russian executives. The prime minister called on other Western nations to also impose blockades on Russian financial institutions.

The United States and the United Kingdom have already announced that they will introduce sanctions against the Russians. In the early hours of Tuesday (22), Japan also said that it “is ready” to join the US and other G7 nations in the application of sanctions. Germany and other European Union countries are due to decide on the use of sanctions at a meeting of European foreign ministers later on Tuesday.

understand the conflict

After months of military escalation and intemperance on the Ukrainian border, Russia is increasing pressure on its former Soviet neighbor, threatening to destabilize Europe and involve the United States.

Russia has been tightening its military grip around Ukraine for the past year, amassing tens of thousands of troops, equipment and artillery at the country’s gates. The mobilization prompted warnings from US intelligence officials that a Russian invasion could be imminent.

In recent weeks, diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions have not come to a conclusion. The independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two Ukrainian separatist areas, was recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (21).

The escalation in the years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine has set off the continent’s biggest security crisis since the Cold War, raising the specter of a dangerous confrontation between Western powers and Moscow.

(From Sarah Marsh and Madeline Chambers of Reuters and André Rigue and Eliza Mackintosh, from CNN)