US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with CNN that the United States had warned about Russia’s possible plans similar to those previously described by the United Kingdom.

The UK Foreign Office on Sunday alleged that the Kremlin is trying to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine, naming Yevhen Murayev as the possible candidate, but failed to provide any evidence to back its claims.

According to Blinken, the US has repeatedly warned about such a tactic publicly. He, however, refused to comment on “specific pieces of intelligence”.

“I can’t comment on specific pieces of intelligence. But we’ve been warning about just this kind of tactic for weeks and we’ve spoken about it publicly. Just last week we sanctioned four Russian agents, Ukrainians in Ukraine, seeking to destabilize the government. This is part of the Russian tool kit. It runs the gamut from a large convention incursion in an attempt to topple the government. It’s important that people be on notice about that possibility,” Blinken said.

Shortly after the Foreign Office made its claims on Sunday, the Russian Embassy in the UK called on Westminster to stop “rhetorical provocations” around Ukraine, saying that the UK had sidelined itself by its short-sighted policies and now sees its role in encouraging anti-Russian sentiments.

Blinken also said that Washington believes imposing sanctions on Russia now would cause them to lose their deterrent effect.

“So when it comes to sanctions, the purpose of those sanctions is to deter Russian aggression. And so if they’re triggered, now, you lose the deterrent effect. All of the things that we’re doing, including building up in a united way with Europe massive consequences for Russia, is designed to factor into President Putin’s calculations and to deter and dissuade them from taking aggressive action, even as we pursue diplomacy at the same time,” Blinken asserted.

Source: Agencies