(CB): My
Lords, I welcome the balance that the Minister and the Foreign
Secretary have struck between maximising the pain for corrupt,
mafia-like elites while minimising damage for ordinary Russians,
who have suffered quite enough under Vladimir Putin. Can the
Minister say whether cutting Moscow from the SWIFT financial
system and cancelling the Russian Nord Stream
2 gas pipeline are being given serious
consideration in the event of an invasion of Ukraine? Will he
also elaborate on the co-ordination of the efforts with our
closest allies that he has been describing to the House?
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office () (Con): My
Lords, I can certainly provide more details on the noble Lord’s
second question. Yes, we are working with key allies, as I
indicated, over the course of the last two months and beyond. We
have been working with our key European allies and directly with
the EU. We have been working with the United States, as well as
partners further afield, on how we can act together on the
situation in Ukraine. The noble Lord, Lord Collins, mentioned the
importance of sanctions and working together in a co-ordinated
fashion. I assure the House that we are doing exactly that. On
the first question of the noble Lord, Lord Alton, I fear that if
I was to say anything further it would run to speculation. But,
as my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said
yesterday in the House of Commons, whether our approach is
diplomatic or looking at the issue of economics and the cost of
Russia, everything is very much on the table.
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