Kremlin says proposed British sanctions against Russia inflame European tensions

Moscow also claims that sanctions would hurt the UK

Sunset over the Kremlin and frozen Moscow River (AP)

The Kremlin has claimed that plans by the British government to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow would inflame European tensions, as fears continue to rise over a potential war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said the threat was an attack on Russian businesses and undermined Britain’s investment climate.

He added that any sanctions could backfire on London as British companies are shareholders in many Russian companies.

Western critics of Russia have longed for tougher sanctions to be placed on Moscow, and on individuals close to Vladimir Putin.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss announced on Monday evening the UK would expand its sanctions regime to target individuals linked to the Russian state in response to aggression towards Ukraine, including the ability to freeze their assets and deny them entry to Britain

“We will make sure that those who share responsibility for the Kremlin’s aggressive and destabilising action will share in bearing a heavy cost,” Ms Truss told parliament.

“Their assets in the UK will be frozen. No UK business or individual would be able to transact with them. And should they seek to enter the UK, they would be turned back.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed Britain’s warning, saying: “We urge partners to take such actions as they are an important factor in deterring the Russian elite from rash decisions. When Russian dignitaries realise that they are talking about their assets, real estate and money abroad, where they – the patriots of Russia – keep them, the hotheads in the Kremlin will cool down,” he said.

It comes ahead of a proposed visit to Kiev by Britain’s prime minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday. Mr Johnson says he is considering sending hundreds of British troops to Nato countries in the Baltic region as a show of support.

The United States and Nato replied last week to Moscow’s demands for legally binding security guarantees over the expansion of the security alliance.

In response, the Kremlin said on Monday that president Putin would respond to the proposals from Washington and Brussels “when he considers it necessary”, with no date set for now.

British defence secretary Ben Wallace is currently in Hungary for talks with the country’s defence minister Tibor Benko.

Mr Wallace said that all sides were in agreement that “we don’t want instability, we don’t want war in the east, we don’t want casualties”.

He added: “We don’t want migrant flows, we don’t want high fuel prices and high food prices, which would inevitably flow from any action.”

“It’s really important that president Putin hears from allies and friends across Europe our disquiet and our worries about what is happening in Ukraine,” Mr Wallace said.