British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace issued a warning to Vladimir Putin, advising the Russian president not to belittle or "test" the West amid his continued invasion of Ukraine.
It came after Putin sent his own warning to NATO countries on Saturday, telling them that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered entering the conflict by the Kremlin.
He also denounced the sanctions imposed on Russia by countries such as Britain, the European Union and the US, claiming they are "akin to a declaration of war."
However, in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Wallace said the West should not be afraid of Putin who he said acted irrationally and caused horror in Ukraine.
"The thing to say to Putin is 'don't underestimate us, don't test us'," he said. "History is filled with authoritarian leaders who belittle the West and the wider UK. (Putin) clearly underestimates the international community," Wallace said.
"If we stick together and refuse to be intimidated then I believe he will fail."
Ukraine's western allies are locked in a bitter feud with Putin over his bloody invasion. According to Ukraine's foreign minister, the United States should be ready to release a new set of sanctions against Moscow.
After a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Eastern Europe visiting the border between Ukraine and Poland, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba suggested further sanctions would be imposed by the US in the coming days and more weapons would be delivered to Ukraine.
Speaking in an online briefing afterwards, Ukraine also said it was frustrated that NATO refused to enforce the no-fly zone, insisting it would lead to more civilian deaths. But Putin had previously insisted that Russia would view any move in this direction as an intervention that would pose a threat to members of the Russian military.
“Right then, we will see them as participants in the military conflict, and no matter what their members are,” the Russian leader said in a speech to a group of flight attendants at the Aeroflot training center near Moscow.
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