UK Chancellor to travel to Moscow to present the 'toughest sanctions' ever seen against Russia.
Although it did not receive approval from the British Parliament, the Chancellor stated that "this will be the UK's toughest sanctions regime against Russia."
Sputnik - UK Foreign Representative Liz Truss will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday (10).
Although the sanctions package was not approved by the British Parliament, the Chancellor stated that "this will be the UK's toughest sanctions regime against Russia, meaning we can act jointly with the US and other partners."
No reason for the delay was given, writes The Guardian, adding that UK authorities insist there is no evidence of Russian military de-escalation.
The legislation announced by Truss would target "any company that is linked to the Russian state, engages in business of economic importance to the Russian state, or operates in a sector of strategic importance to the Russian state."
The proposed laws would empower the UK Treasury to impose sanctions on individuals involved with these companies.
"The package we are presenting in the legislation will be in effect until February 10th, which means we can enact comprehensive sanctions across broad categories that truly target anyone providing strategic or economic services, or even support, to the Russian regime," the Foreign Minister said.
Speaking about his visit to Moscow, Truss said: "Russia should have no doubt about the strength of our response. We have said many times that any new invasion would incur severe costs."
In recent days, the United Kingdom has emphasized NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) open-door policy and Ukraine's right to join the military alliance.
Truss will emphasize that the UK is willing to discuss renegotiating arms control treaties with Russia. The visit to Russia is the first by a UK Foreign Secretary in over four years.