UK to impose sanctions on Vladimir Putin

The UK will impose personal sanctions against Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has declared.

The prime minister told Nato leaders that the UK would "imminently" introduce sanctions - similar to the EU's - against the Russian leader and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, on top of the punitive economic measures announced on Thursday.

Referring to Putin’s wish to recover territory which previously fell under the USSR, Mr Johnson said Russia was “engaging in a revanchist mission to overturn post-Cold War order”.

The PM also warned the group that the Russian president’s ambitions might not stop there and that this was a Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences.

After being criticised for the UK's initial sanctions being too soft, the PM also used the meeting to promise “immediate action” over the banning of Russia from the Swift payment system to “inflict maximum pain” on the Kremlin.

The Swift payment network is pivotal for the smooth transaction of money worldwide.

His comments come after the UK sanctioned more than 100 Russian individuals and entities, firstly in an attempt to deter Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine and later to punish him for launching an attack.

Boris Johnson said the sanctions were a "massive" package of measures "designed in time to hobble the Russian economy" after President Putin chose a "path of bloodshed and destruction” by invading Ukraine.