Stand with Ukraine and turn the screw even tighter against Putin’s Russia amid nuclear spectre – Andrew Vine

Ukraine: World must act now or risk paying an even higher price for Putin’s wars – Tom Tugendhat

That means cutting trade, cultural and sporting links, rooting out dirty money invested in banks or property, and kicking out those who launder it in the capitals of western Europe. Russia can have no place in normal international relations after what Vladimir Putin has done. His country must now become as ostracised and reviled as South Africa during the decades of apartheid.

UK ‘laundromat’ for dirty Russian money must end and tighter sanctions enforced against oligarchs in Ukraine war response – Dame Angela Eagle

Yesterday, as economic sanctions against Russia began to bite, with the rouble tanking on international markets, even Putin must have realised how formidable the forces ranged against him are. But the screw needs to be tightened still further – for too long, the West has indulged in wishful thinking about Russia’s role in the world, deluding itself into believing that whatever reservations there have been about Putin’s regime, it was one we could do business with.

So half of Europe has allowed itself to become dependent on Russian gas and oil, hoping that straightforward business transactions were evidence that Putin would observe the rules of normal behaviour.

A deaf ear has been turned to his belligerent language, and a blind eye to his increasingly autocratic posturing and open contempt for the very concept of democracy.

In Britain, we have stood by whilst our own capital city has been dubbed “Londongrad” for the vast amounts of dodgy money being funnelled through its banks and into its most exclusive properties by Putin’s cronies who have funded his ambitions.

And along with the likes of France and Germany, we have chosen to grant obscenely-rich oligarchs gold-plated visas and citizenship without pausing to ask how they made their money.

No more. The sanctions imposed on Russia should only be the first step towards new and ethical foreign and trade policies adopted not only by Britain, but in concert with our allies. This is about defending our values – which we share with the young democracy of Ukraine – and cutting the ground from beneath the feet of a dangerous bully. It is, quite simply, about doing the right thing and taking every step short of military action to put pressure on Putin.

No area should be exempt. Sports teams should be told they are not welcome in international tournaments, and individual athletes excluded from competition. Companies that are wholly or majority owned by the Russian state have to be excluded from tendering for any publicly-funded contracts, and private enterprise subject to strict checks about the legitimacy of companies.

The Russian state airline, Aeroflot, has already been banned from British airspace. In concert with the EU, shipping should also be targeted, with ports closed to Russian vessels.

There will be a price to pay for this in short-term economic difficulties, but ultimately it must be done in order to put Putin in his place and keep him there. And alongside the economic stranglehold, the West has to start winning the hearts and minds of Russian people, many of whom appear to be as appalled by the invasion of Ukraine as their counterparts around the world are.

It is not clear just how popular Putin is in his own country. He has destroyed any independent media, reducing every print and broadcast outlet to a state mouthpiece that treats his every utterance as gospel. But he cannot control what his people think, nor in the internet age stem the flow of information about what is really happening in Ukraine, let alone silence voices on social media.

Russia’s young, in particular, are certain to be uneasy at this war being waged in their country’s name by a 69-year-old dictator increasingly out of touch with reality, given his veiled threats to use nuclear weapons. They won’t view this as the act of a strong leader sticking up for his country, but conclude that it is dangerous brinkmanship. For all his aggression, Putin looks badly rattled. His attack on Ukraine was quite obviously supposed to be a short, sharp campaign that crushed all opposition.

It has not worked. The bravery and resilience of Ukraine’s forces have seen to that. And now the economy that has sustained Putin’s expansion of his armed forces is being undermined. On the battlefront, and on his home front, this is a dictator under intense pressure.

Britain and its allies must not let up now, nor hold back from inflicting the maximum damage on Russia’s economy. The people of Ukraine, whether fighting for their homes, or fleeing in terror, deserve no less than to know everything possible is being done to destroy the warmonger who has caused such misery.

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