But all of the measures against Russia will have negative impacts for the West too. The price of British gas for next-day delivery shot up by 40 per cent, to £280 per therm. Opposition leaders including Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer criticised the initial package of sanctions for being too soft. This is because Nato uses a system of collective security, whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
- US President Joe Biden held a video conference with EU leaders, the Nato secretary general and Mr Johnson on Monday evening.
- The price of British gas for next-day delivery shot up by 40 per cent, to £280 per therm.
- The Biden administration already has sent Ukraine $111bn in weapons, humanitarian assistance and other aid.
- On Wednesday, the UK announced a package of sanctions against Russia as part of a co-ordinated Western response to the crisis.
- President Joe Biden said that the US would “enhance our force posture in Europe to respond to the change in the security environment”.
- Earlier this month, its civil defence minister told a defence conference "there could be a war in Sweden".
As we hug the side of the building and take cover in the stairwell, we're led inside from the freezing winter winds to the warmth of a militarised living room. A second contract, published on Tuesday, advertised for hydraulic ramps for unloading vehicles, noting that the new F35s and “the imminent surety support” had “highlighted the need to replace these much-required facilities”. “The 48th Security Forces Squadron upcoming nuclear mission is required to operate under ballistic protection,” it said. President Joe Biden said that the US would “enhance our force posture in Europe to respond to the change in the security environment”. RAF Lakenheath is expected to house B61-12 gravity bombs, which have a variable yield of up to 50 kilotons – more than three times the power of the atomic weapon dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. "We divided our systems for different types of threats," he says, though of course this means relying on the West for ammunition and maintenance.
Engaging with government
Ukrainian officials say Russia has provided no credible evidence to back its claims that their own forces shot down a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be swapped for Russian POWs. A little earlier, we told you about a report in the Financial Times that the EU was proposing to sabotage Hungary's economy if Budapest blocks further aid for Ukraine this week. A spate of Ukraine-linked attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure have reportedly led Moscow's energy ministry to propose restricting flights over energy facilities. We have also not made any explicit adjustments for the domestic consequences of international sanctions on Russian financial institutions or individuals, beyond what might be reflected in equity prices in the fiscal forecast. We do not assume these actions have a material effect on overall financial stability, lending, or investment in the UK.
According to ITV, Boris Johnson yesterday raised the possibility of kicking Russia out of Swift during a meeting of the G7 leaders. Russia’s invasion caused international stock markets to drop dramatically, with the FTSE 100 in London falling by 3.2 per cent. Andrey Kelin told Times Radio on Friday that any measure the UK took against Moscow would be met with an equal response, but he refused to give further detail on how this could look. Moscow’s ambassador to London previously warned that the UK would be hit with “immediate retaliation” if it tried to sanction Russia. Russia is continuing to bombard Ukraine with missiles, with heavy fire directed at the city of Kharkiv. Nato has said it will listen to Russia’s concerns about wanting Ukraine not to join the organisation but its core values, of allowing each nation to choose its own path and defending all allies, will not be compromised.
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The US and UK have also been carrying out air strikes in the Red Sea against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Iran-backed militia which have been attacking container ships in purported retaliation for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. https://euronewstop.co.uk/what-has-the-uk-sent-to-ukraine.html on Friday night backed Sir Patrick’s call for a citizen army, as he pledged to sign up if the UK went to war with Russia. General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the British Army, went on to warn that the public would need to be called up to fight if there was war with Russia because the Army was too small. Since launching its invasion Russia has never stopped attacking Ukraine by the air, but this latest series of strikes marks a deadly escalation. Planning for warfare, a remote contingency, is what militaries do and there is always pressure from generals and defence ministries to spend more. But the war in Ukraine – which will have run for two years next month – is exhausting western stockpiles of munitions.
- Satellite imagery suggests Russia is sending troops towards its border with Ukraine.
- Finland, Nato's newest member and a country which has an 800-mile border with Russia, has wider conscription.
- EU leaders are expected to meet again on 1 February to suss out the financial package.
- The documents show the Pentagon has ordered new equipment for the base, including ballistic shields designed to protect military personnel from attacks on “high value assets”.
- Mr Johnson said the UK and its allies would agree a "massive package of economic sanctions" in a bid to "hobble" the Russian economy, warning that the West would need to cease its dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Speaking as the Foreign Office pulled some embassy staff out of Ukraine, the PM said the situation was "pretty gloomy" but war was not inevitable. The latest move by Russia has drawn international condemnation, with US President Joe Biden denouncing Russia's military action as an "unprovoked and unjustified attack", declaring "the world will hold Russia accountable". "We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine," he told the BBC on Thursday morning. Foreign Office minister James Cleverly warned Mr Putin's comments in recent days suggested he wanted to create "a wider Russian empire in all but name". Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had summoned the Russian ambassador to explain Russia's "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine" and that the UK would be "imposing severe sanctions".
Ministers and their teams
Earlier today, a Russian official said air defences had thwarted a drone attack on the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl. The Russian invasion displaced Ukrainians who, fleeing the conflict, became refugees in need of accommodation and support. The Home Office’s initial response was criticised for being slow and bureaucratic, as the department’s overriding instinct to prioritise control, and security won out over pressure to get refugees into safe UK accommodation quickly.
- The Foreign Office has warned against all travel to Crimea and two areas of eastern Ukraine, Donetsk oblast and Luhansk oblast.
- "We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine," he told the BBC on Thursday morning.
- Even with prices falling faster than expected, next winter still looks challenging – and energy is likely to remain front and centre of the political agenda well beyond that.
"This is a grave moment for the security of Europe. Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine is putting countless lives at risk," he said. A source told BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley the meeting was "tempestuous" and ended early after Ms Truss said the ambassador should be "ashamed" of Russia's behaviour in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin had lied repeatedly. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for the second time this week to ask him to explain the "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine". Ukraine has imposed martial law across the country, meaning the military has taken control temporarily, and traffic jams have built up as people attempt to flee Kyiv. The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russian forces based in Belarus were advancing towards Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
So, price increases and potential shortages in these non-energy commodities represent additional upside risks to our inflation forecast and downside risks to our real GDP forecast. Meanwhile Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia - which borders Russia - has told BBC News "we're gonna help Ukraine with all the means that we can" including political support and by sending weapons. Russia has denied plans for military action, but an estimated 100,000 troops have amassed on the border. It said Nato allies were sending additional ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe to reinforce defences and increase deterrence, in response to the continuing build-up of Russian forces. He said new UK sanctions against Russia would be announced "in waves" and warned it would be "the largest and most severe economic sanctions" package Russia had ever seen.