White House reports surge in Russian troops in Belarus near Ukrainian border
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Russia continues to surge troops near the Ukrainian border, and have been surging troops in Belarus.
“It’s not just words of course,” Psaki said noting the presence of more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, and “a surge of about 5,000 troops in Belarus with plans for more in the coming weeks.”
Psaki also said the U.S. is developing sanction plans that would hit “individuals we have identified are in or near the inner circles of the Kremlin and play a role in government decision making or are at a minimum complicit in the Kremlin’s destabilizing behavior.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Monday the government will be ready to impose “wide-ranging” sanctions against Russia to stop its aggression towards Ukraine by Feb. 10.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the British warning “very disturbing”, saying it made Britain less attractive to investors and would hurt British companies.
“It’s not often you see or hear such direct threats to attack business,” he said. “An attack by a given country on Russian business implies retaliatory measures, and these measures will be formulated based on our interests if necessary.”
