The UK and US could both personally sanction Russian president Vladimir Putin after Joe Biden suggested this could be an option in the case of an invasion.
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We have ruled nothing out in terms of sanctions, and in fact we’ll be legislating to toughen up our sanctions regime and make sure we are fully able to hit both individuals and companies and banks in Russia in the event of an incursion.”
It comes as Russia held military drills on Wednesday and deployed more forces and fighter jets to Belarus for exercises next month as officials prepared to sit down for four-way talks in Paris on the conflict in east Ukraine.
The Kremlin's point man on Ukraine was due to meet officials from France, Germany and Ukraine for "Normandy format" talks in Paris against the backdrop of a Russian military buildup near Ukraine that has sparked fears of an invasion.
