Samantha De Bendern speaks ahead of PM's visit to Ukraine
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Vladimir Putin will face serious backlash if he decides to go ahead with his plans to invade Ukraine but there is still time for Russia’s president to pull the plug on a potential bloodbath. Samantha De Bendern, an associate fellow at Chatham House, warned Mr Putin that he has “a lot to lose” with the British Government ready to target Russian oligarchs who possess valuable assets in the UK as a result. Boris Johnson will jet to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show his support for the endangered nation.
And Ms De Bendern pointed out that some oligarchs could turn against Mr Putin if he targets Ukraine given that some of them possess “close family ties” to the country and would not forgive him such a decision.
Russia are reportedly intent on setting their invasion plans in stone with the number of soldiers massing on Ukraine’s border expanding by the day and Mr Johnson warned Mr Putin to “step back from the brink”.
Speaking to GB News, Ms De Bendern declared that the consequences for Russia and its president would be “dramatic” if the UK decide to intervene.
She said: “An invasion is avoidable. This morning I just read that the Russians have given original response to the Americans’ initial written proposals.
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“So the plan is continuing, that is always a good sign.
“And you have to remember that Putin actually has a lot to lose and I think that the plans Liz Truss unveiled to say that Russian oligarchs in Putin’s close circle will be targeted have shown a very, very strong resolve to explain to Putin that the consequences for him personally could be rather dramatic.”
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss threatened Russia with “tough sanctions” this week, stating that the damage would be irreparable and the country would have “nowhere to hide” afterwards.
Ms Bendern turned the screw on Mr Putin, reminding him that not all the Russian oligarchs are his fans.
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She said: “You have to remember that Putin actually has a lot to lose and I think that the plans Liz Truss unveiled yesterday to say that Russian oligarchs in Putin’s close circle will be targeted have shown a very, very strong resolve to explain to Putin that the consequences for him personally could be rather dramatic.
“And it will be interesting to see how this plays out because not all Russian oligarchs are necessarily voluntarily close to Putin.
“A lot of these men have made their money not necessarily using legal methods we’d use in the UK but they have had to be copped in the regime in order to survive.
“Some of them support Putin, some of them are very close to him.
“Some of the oligarchs made their money because of the government connections, others didn’t, some senior oligarchs have very close family ties to Ukraine.
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“And that is also very important to understand, Russia isn’t a democracy.”
And if the oligarchs sense that Mr Putin’s actions are “damaging” Russia, he might have to live with the consequences on an international and national front as “the second circle” will undoubtedly make him pay for it given that it would disrupt their own and family’s lives.
She added: “If it was these kinds of sanctions would probably spell the end of Putin’s rule.
“If the second circle is able to feel that this man is damaging their country so much that he has to go this could potentially have an effect.
“This is an effective weapon that could be used against Putin.”
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