Third of Britons say Russian sanctions should go further – poll

More than a third of Britons have said in a survey that Boris Johnson’s current sanctions against Russia in response to the Ukraine crisis do not go far enough.

The Prime Minister has been coming under pressure from Labour and some of his own Tory MPs to go further.

A snap poll of 1,018 adults carried out online by Ipsos on Tuesday found the respondents roughly tied on whether the sanctions are strong enough.

Some 34% replied they do not go far enough, 35% said they are about right and 11% believed they go too far.

Also in the poll, 61% said they support the Government imposing sanctions against Russia, but this figure fell to 49% if the measures lead to increased energy prices in the UK.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson promised more weapons from the UK for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia as he faced criticism over the strength of the Government’s response to Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister said lethal defensive weapons and other aid would be sent to Ukraine in response to the “increasingly threatening behaviour” from Russia.

Mr Putin’s decision to recognise two breakaway states in eastern Ukraine and the deployment of Russian forces there led to a co-ordinated response in the form of economic sanctions from the UK, US and European Union.

The risk of a further escalation prompted the Prime Minister to agree to the new package of support for the Ukrainian military.

“This will include lethal aid in the form of defensive weapons and non-lethal aid,” he said.

Downing Street would not provide further details on the equipment being provided for “operational security reasons”.

The UK has already sent anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military to help counter the threat posed by Russian forces ringed around the country’s borders.