Western threats to Russia continue to impose harsh economic sanctions if it invades Ukraine. The latest threats came from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an agreement to avoid expanding NATO's borders near his country.

The British government said Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a conversation on Monday with the Russian leader asking him to "reduce tension" with Ukraine, warning that any military intervention would be a "strategic mistake".

The government said in a statement that Johnson expressed - during the phone call - the UK's deep concern about the reinforcement of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine, and reiterated the importance of working through diplomatic channels in order to reduce tension.

She added that the Prime Minister stressed the UK's adherence to the unity and sovereignty of Ukraine, warning that any act of destabilization would be a strategic mistake with grave consequences.

In turn, European Commissioner for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said that the EU foreign ministers agreed that any aggression against Ukraine would have a severe economic cost.

But Borrell ruled out a decision to impose sanctions on Russia during the meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday, noting that the matter is being studied with both the United States and Britain.

In the context of US reactions, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Russia to withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian border and to engage in a diplomatic path to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Blinken said that US President Joe Biden had been clear with his Russian counterpart on two occasions that "we would very much prefer to have more stable and predictable relations with Russia, but if it continues to take reckless and aggressive actions, we will respond alongside our partners and allies around the world." ".

And the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries had warned - during their meeting in the city of Liverpool - Russia of what they called "serious consequences", if it invaded Ukraine.

The group - which includes Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada, in addition to a representative of the European Union - confirmed that its members are unanimous in condemning the Russian military build-up near Ukraine, calling on Moscow to calm down.

The statement added that Russia should have no doubts about the enormity of the price it will pay if it launches any military aggression against Ukraine.

And the German Foreign Minister warned on Sunday evening that it would not allow the operation of the "Nord Stream-2" German-Russian gas pipeline if Ukraine witnessed a "new" escalation, according to a preliminary agreement reached by Berlin and Washington.

Annalina Birbock told the German channel ZDF that due to the tense security situation, "it was agreed between the Americans and the former German government", headed by Angela Merkel, "that this line cannot be operated upon (the occurrence of) a new escalation."


Russian demands

On the other hand, the Kremlin said that the Russian President confirmed during a telephone conversation with the British Prime Minister that Kiev's policy "violated the Minsk Agreement" signed in 2015, and that Ukraine deliberately aggravated the situation by using heavy weapons and attack drones on the border.

Putin stressed that this constitutes a "direct threat to Russia's security," and called for negotiations for clear international legal agreements that would rule out any further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the east and the deployment of weapons that threaten Russia in its neighboring countries.

In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Western countries of militarizing Ukraine and supplying it with weapons and fighters.

Zakharova stated that the West continues to pump more weapons into Ukraine, and concludes with it future arms contracts worth billions of dollars.

It accused Western countries of transporting fighters to Ukraine under the guise of military trainers, she said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had confirmed that his country will not invade Ukraine, and that NATO seeks to deploy missiles in Europe banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and that Moscow opposes this.


naval escalation

In the midst of the current escalation, Ukraine accused Russia of closing about 70% of the Azov Sea basin to its ships, and denied what it said were misleading Russian news about a Ukrainian military ship approaching the Kerch Pass last Friday.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Russian warships pose a threat to cities on the Sea of ​​Azov, especially Mariupl.

For its part, the Ukrainian Navy stated that it is preparing to repel any Russian attack, through intensive military exercises, it said.

On the front of the Donbass region, where the Ukrainian-Russian conflict is centered, it was announced today that a Ukrainian soldier was seriously wounded in a landmine explosion.

According to the preliminary investigation, the pro-Russian separatists are using mines prohibited by international agreements.

On the other hand, the monitors of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the regions of "Luhansk" and "Donetsk" announced that they had monitored the deployment of heavy military equipment, operated by pro-Russian armed formations, in violation of the Minsk agreements.

This equipment includes Grad missile systems, self-propelled artillery, howitzers and mortars, and tanks.