LAST UPDATE: 10.35
Britain is closing financial markets for Russian government bonds following the deployment of troops by President Vladimir Putin in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Tras said on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Tra said that if Putin goes further and orders a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, then the sanctions will escalate.
“We were very clear that we would restrict Russian access to British markets,” Tras told Sky.
“There will be even tougher sanctions on oligarchs, on organizations in Russia, restricting Russia’s access to financial markets if there is a full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” he added.
To curb government bond sales in London, Britain will need additional legislation, according to Western officials. Liquidation transactions would also be affected.
Trash also said that it was very likely that Putin’s plans would include an aggressive move against Kiev.
At the same time, Trash pointed out that Britain is not yet sure that Russian troops have already entered the two breakaway provinces of eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk.
“We have no confirmed evidence that this has happened yet,” she said in another interview with LBC.
“The situation at the moment is unclear (…) What I mean is that all kinds of fake material is circulating on the internet. What we need to ensure is that our intelligence services have fully confirmed what is happening,” she said.
Tras also said that the British media regulator Ofcom should consider the Russian television network Russia Today, which broadcasts in Britain.
“As for Russia Today, I’m of the opinion that it broadcasts propaganda and fake news on a regular basis and is essentially an arm of the Russian state, and I’m sure Ofcom is looking into it,” he told Times Radio.
Source: Capital

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