The foreign minister said in an interview published Sunday that the threat of “surprise sanctions” would be maintained if the Russian president did attack again. Ms Trass told the Sunday Telegraph that a “negotiating unit” had been set up at the State Department to help with possible peace talks. With the Kremlin’s troops struggling, her comments will be seen as a possible incentive for Putin to reduce his losses and mediate an agreement with Ukraine. Moscow has indicated after a month of war that it may limit its ambitions to fight for control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that he would not give ground to the peace talks, noting that his troops had dealt “severe blows” to the invading forces. Boris Johnson said Western allies were trying to “steadily strengthen” sanctions aimed at punishing Putin and those who support his regime. Ms Truss said: “These sanctions should only be lifted with a complete ceasefire and withdrawal, but also commitments that there will be no further aggression. “And also, there is the possibility of imposing extraordinary sanctions if there is further aggression in the future. “This is a real lever that I think can be used.” Her remarks were in line with those of her US counterpart Anthony Blinken, who said travel bans and asset freezes were “not designed to be permanent”. The foreign minister said the sanctions could “disappear” in the event of a “substantial, irreversible” withdrawal of Russian troops. Cabinet Minister Nadhim Zahawi has backed Foreign Minister Liz Truss’ position that sanctions can not be lifted by Russia until there is a complete withdrawal of troops from Ukraine. He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday program: “It must be … Absolutely right, I think the Russian invasion must end and the Russian army must leave Ukraine, and it depends on the Ukrainian people, they must be very who decide what this peace looks like. “ Asked if Moscow was changing its strategy to focus on the Donbas region, Zahawi said the Russian army was facing “real problems” on the ground as the Ukrainians “fought like lions”. Zahawi also said that regime change in Russia would “depend on the Russian people”, following the outrage over US President Joe Biden’s apparent call for Putin’s ouster. The White House has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Putin have been made more than once. Asked if the UK government had agreed with Joe Biden that Vladimir Putin “could not stay in power”, Mr Zahwi said: “I think it depends on the Russian people.” Pressed again if Mr Biden was wrong to say what he was doing, Mr Zahawi said: “No, what I’m telling you is that the White House was very clear on this. I think both the United States and the United Kingdom agree that It is up to the Russian people to decide who will rule it. “ Meanwhile, Lord Sandwell, the former head of public service, said Britain’s defense spending should increase and the budget for foreign aid should return to pre-determined levels. The minister, a cabinet secretary and national security adviser under Boris Johnson, made the call Sunday as allies reconsider spending levels in response to the Russian threat. Lord Sandwill proposed spending national security spending at 4 percent of GDP to include defense spending, which is rising to 2.75 percent from 2 percent now. He also called for aid spending to be reduced to 0.7 percent of gross national income after the prime minister cut it to 0.5 percent during the Covid pandemic.
