Liz Truss warns MPs Ukraine 'not the limit of Putin's ambitions' as UK counts cost of sanctions

Vladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine if he is allowed to win, a Government minister has waned.

Liz Truss admits there will be an 'economic cost for British people' from the sanctions currently being imposed against Russia during the conflict with Ukraine.

But the Foreign Secretary has suggested it is a cost worth paying in an attempt to thwart Putin's hopes of a 'greater Russia'.

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She told the House of Commons today (March 8): “Of course, there will be an economic cost for British people from these sanctions, in terms of their energy bills and their cost of living, but that cost is nothing compared to the cost to the people of Ukraine of this horrific barbarism they’re facing.

“It is also not compared to the cost of allowing Putin to succeed because what we know is if Putin does not lose in Ukraine, then this will not be the limit of his ambitions.

"He has already been clear that he wants to see a greater Russia, that could encompass countries like Moldova and the Baltic states.

“It is vitally important that we throw everything at sanctions, we help as much as we can with defensive weaponry into Ukraine because this is a battle that Putin needs to lose.”

Ms Truss told MPs that the UK's economic sanctions totalled a value of £364 billion, as she faced criticism from opponents who questioned why the Government had imposed fewer sanctions than other countries since 2014 - at 271 compared to 766 in the European Union, 800 in Switzerland, 900 in Canada and 1,200 in the United States, according to Castellum AI.

Labour MP Matt Western claimed 'the facts speak for themselves', while the SNP's Alyn Smith told Ms Truss: