Thread by @edwardlucas

thread 1/13 Putin's risk appetite is far greater than we realised. We are deluding ourselves (I was too complacent and thought he wouldn't go this far) So forget the stirring talk about Western unity and a revived spirit of purpose in NATO.

2/13 Warm words and high spirits do not bring the dead back to life. As you read this, Ukrainians are huddling in bomb shelters, dodging bullets, and seeing their dreams of a free, prosperous, law-governed independent country destroyed.

3/13 For the West, this may be (yet another) wake-up call. For Ukraine, it is a death-knell.We will have years (decades, probably) to mull the combination of naivete, complacency, arrogance, ignorance and — most of all — greed that brought us to this catastrophe.

4/13 But the biggest question is what to do right now. Sanctions are not a magic bullet. But here is a ten-point to-do list for action by the end of the week. (lots of other things too, but this for immediate action)

5/13 -- Withdraw all Western (NATO, EU, OECD) ambassadors from Moscow and send their Russian counterparts home.
-- Close all Russian consulates, trade missions. We need barebones embassies, nothing more.

6/13 --. Remove RT and other Russian propaganda organs from the airwaves in all countries that have regulated broadcast media.

7/13 -- visa bans on all government ministers, on all members of the Duma and Federation Council, all governors and office-holders in Russia’s regions, on all officials in the “power ministries” and security agencies, and on the 35 individuals named in Alexei Navalny’s list.

8/13 -- And on their spouses, siblings, offspring, parents and other associates.
-- Announce a sweeping program of asset freezes on these individuals, and on companies linked to the Kremlin or owned (even in part) by Kremlin cronies.

9/13 -- Delist these companies from the exchanges in London, Frankfurt, New York and other western financial centers. Stop trading their debt, bonds and other financial instruments

10/13 -- The US to announce that foreign politicians and senior officials who sit on Russian boards or act as consultants to Russian companies must resign at once, or be blacklisted from visiting the United States. Other countries to follow suit.

11/13 -- Any law firm, bank, accountancy firm, consulting outfit or other professional service firm that does business with a sanctioned Russian entity must cut ties at once or face similar penalties.

12/13Announce snap military exercises in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea regions.

13/13 And finally:

Apologise to Ukrainians, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks (and Russians) for ignoring their warnings over so many years.