Russia's Vladimir Putin claims sanctions 'will be imposed in any case' amid Ukraine row

In any scenario, Western sanctions against Russia and Belarus will be implemented, and a reason will be discovered, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following meetings with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. It is worth noting that the United States (US) and its western allies have warned Russia that it will face coordinated sanctions if it invades Ukraine.

"Sanctions will be imposed in any case. Whether they have a reason today, for example, in connection with the events in Ukraine, or there is no such reason - it will be found, because the goal is different, in this case the goal is to slow down the development of Russia and Belarus," Putin stated at the press conference.

Putin did not go into detail about how the two countries plan to deal with the sanctions, but he did say that there is always a solution. The Russian president also agreed with his Belarusian counterpart's statement that the world is too big to shut down everything. He further recalled that Russia has made significant progress in terms of import substitution during the last eight years. He also stated that there is still work to be done to promote economic autonomy.

US warns Russia of tough sanctions in case of invasion

In the midst of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, the US government has warned that if Russia invades Ukraine, it will face harsh sanctions. This occurred after multiple American leaders voiced grim warnings this week, claiming that Moscow may issue an order to invade Ukraine at any time. The White House said on Friday that the most specific attribution of blame for cyberattacks has unfolded as tensions between Russia and Ukraine increase, blaming Russia for some assaults on Ukraine's defence ministry and significant banks.

Similarly, US President Joe Biden, who appears to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to attack Ukraine, indicated that a probable assault on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, is also a possibility since tensions along the fortified border have risen with significant attacks. Biden encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to reconsider his course of action, saying that the US and NATO allies are more united than ever, and that Russia will pay a price for its actions.

(With inputs from agencies)