Johnson Calls Putin 'Dictator', Unveils 'Severe' Sanctions against Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned Russian actions in Ukraine, calling President Vladimir Putin a “dictator".

Johnson accused Putin of authorising “a tidal wave of violence against a fellow Slavic people”. He also vowed Russia will never “subdue the national feeling of the Ukrainians and their passionate belief that their country should be free”.

Accordingly, the United Kingdom is going to impose its “largest-ever” set of economic sanctions on Russia, including pushing to end Russia’s use of the Swift international payment systems, freezing assets of all major Russian banks, limiting cash held by Russian nationals in the UK banks and sanctioning more than 100 inpiduals and entities.

Johnson has called on European leaders to agree that Russia’s use of the major payments system should be suspended, making the argument in a call with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and in a meeting of G7 leaders.

The prime minister stated that inpidual sanctions shall be imposed on over 100 inpiduals, entities and subsidiaries, including Rostec, the country’s biggest defence company, which exports £10bn in arms a year, as well as four other defence companies.