LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine): Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned Russia that invading Ukraine would result in a mass death toll comparable to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Ms Truss accused Russia of seeking to resurrect the Soviet Union in a speech in Sydney, and asked President Vladimir Putin to step away.
Her warning comes ahead of later meetings between the United States and Russia.
Russia has denied plotting an invasion, however, 100,000 troops have been deployed by them near Ukraine’s border.
It has previously seized Ukrainian land – Crimea in the year 2014 – and the commander of Nato has warned that a new conflict in Europe is a serious possibility.
President Vladimir Putin has made a number of demands to the West, including that Ukraine be denied membership in NATO and that NATO cease military operations in eastern Europe.Â
“We are very clear, together with our allies in the G7, with our allies in Nato, that if there is an incursion by Russia into Ukraine, it would come at a massive cost.” Ms Truss said on Friday. She added that the UK was prepared to impose extremely severe sanctions and that the UK already was providing defence assistance to Ukraine.
Britain said earlier this week that it would provide Ukraine with more troops for defensive weapons and training.
President Putin must refrain and back away from Ukraine before he commits a huge strategic mistake, Ms Truss said in her speech.
She remarked that the Kremlin hasn’t learned history’s lessons. They fantasise about resurrecting the Soviet Union, or a larger Russia, by splitting up land based on language and ethnicity. They seem to want stability while threatening and destabilising others.
She also cautioned that an invasion would only result in a horrific quagmire and life loss, as it was seen in the Soviet-Afghan war and the Chechen struggle.
Throughout the 1980s, the Soviet Union fought a war in Afghanistan. More than a million Afghans, including 15,000 Red Army men, were slain, and the country was left in ruins.
Ms Truss, who is with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in Australia to strengthen ties, said that it is needed from everyone to step up. The UK would continue to stand with Ukraine and push Russia to de-escalate with its partners. What occurs in Eastern Europe has global implications.
This week, ministers from important European countries met to discuss how to coordinate a Western response to the crisis.
On Friday, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.
