UK warns Russia it will face sanctions if it installs 'puppet regime' in Ukraine

 
INA-sources
 
Russia will face severe economic sanctions if it installs a puppet regime in Ukraine, a senior British minister said on Sunday after the UK accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader there.
 
"There'll be very serious consequences if Russia takes this move to try and invade but also install a puppet regime," British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News.
 
Britain made the accusation late on Saturday, also saying Russian intelligence officers had been in contact with a number of former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion.
 
The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the British allegation as "disinformation," accusing NATO of "escalating tensions" over Ukraine.
 
The British claims came after the top U.S. and Russian diplomats failed on Friday to make a major breakthrough in talks to resolve the crisis over Ukraine, which was sparked when Russia began massing troops near its border with the country.
 
Officials in Moscow have insisted they have no plans to invade, and both they and their American counterparts have agreed to keep talking. But tension remains high.
 
In Washington, the U.S. State Department announced it was ordering the departure of eligible family members from its embassy in Kyiv due to the threat of Russian military action.
 
U.S. President Joe Biden has begun considering options for boosting America's military assets in the region, senior administration officials said, after meeting top national security aides at his Camp David retreat on Saturday.
 
The New York Times said Biden was mulling plans to send 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries, with the possibility of increasing the number should tensions flare further.
 
A senior administration official declined to confirm the numbers on Sunday but said "we are developing plans and we are consulting with allies to determine options moving forward."
 
Source: France24