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British PM Boris Johnson sees a threat to Taiwan if the West does not support Ukraine. Photo/REUTERS
Russian troops are massing near the Ukrainian border and President Vladimir Putin has launched a strategic nuclear missile troop drill, but Moscow has dismissed Western concerns that it is ready to strike.
“We don’t fully know what President Putin meant, but it’s a bad sign,” Johnson said at a security conference in Munich, as quoted by Reuters.
“If Ukraine is threatened, the shock will resonate around the world. And the gorge will be heard in East Asia, will be heard in Taiwan, “he said.
Also read: Putin Oversees Massive Nuclear Exercises, Ukrainian President Meets Allies
“People will draw the conclusion that aggression pays off, and that’s probably true.”
China views Taiwan as part of its territory, and has not ruled out using force to regain control of the island, which has ruled itself since 1949.
Johnson said Western countries had repeatedly told Ukraine they would support its independence.
“How empty, how meaningless, how insulting those words are, if at a time when their sovereignty and independence are threatened, we just look away,” he said.
On Tuesday, Britain said it could block Russian companies from raising capital in London and has passed legislation to expand sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals if it attacks Ukraine.
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