The Prime
Minister will travel to Ukraine today (Tuesday) for talks with
President Zelenskyy as tensions on the country’s border with
Russia continue to rise.
Over 100,000
Russian troops are currently amassed on Ukraine’s doorstep and
President Putin has made repeated demands to restrict Ukraine’s
right to pursue NATO membership and
self-defence.
The UK has
long been a staunch supporter of Ukrainian sovereignty. Since
2015, British Armed Forces have trained over 22,000 Ukrainian
troops to defend themselves. The Prime Minister’s discussions
with President Zelenskyy today will cover the full range of
strategic UK support to Ukraine.
The UK is
actively involved in defending rule of law in Ukraine and
clamping down on corruption, steps which have strengthened the
country’s ability to resist malign and anti-democratic
influences.
£88 million
of new funding, including from the UK’s Good Governance Fund,
announced today will bolster that work and aid efforts to reduce
Ukraine’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.
The Prime
Minister has stressed, including directly to President Putin, the
UK’s enduring and unwavering support for Ukrainian sovereignty.
Further Russian incursion would have a stark humanitarian cost
and the UK continues to encourage Russia to engage fully in
discussions with NATO.
Prime Minister
said:
“It
is the right of every Ukrainian to determine how they are
governed. As a friend and a democratic partner, the UK will
continue to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of those who
seek to destroy it.
“We
urge Russia to step back and engage in dialogue to find a
diplomatic resolution and avoid further
bloodshed.”
The Prime
Minister will be accompanied by the Foreign Secretary who will
join talks with President Zelenskyy before meeting her
counterpart and undertaking a wider programme.
The Prime
Minister previously welcomed President Zelenskyy to Downing
Street in October 2020 where they agreed to intensify the
bilateral relationship between the UK and Ukraine in areas
including defence, trade and political cooperation. As part of
this meeting they launched an ongoing Strategic Dialogue which
this visit continues.
The leaders
last spoke on 13th January when they
agreed to continue to work closely alongside international
partners to deter Russian aggression.
On Monday
the Foreign Secretary announced an unprecedented strengthening of
the UK’s sanctions regime which will give the UK the power to
target any company that is linked to the Russian state, engages
in business of economic significance to the Russian state, or
operates in a sector of strategic significance to the Russian
state.
Following
instruction by the Prime Minister, the UK is in discussions with
NATO about what support can be offered to support NATO’s Eastern
Flank.
Notes to
Editors:
-
The Good
Governance Fund was established in 2015 to support economic and
governance reforms in the Eastern Neighbourhood and Western
Balkans. The GGF currently provides £180 million of technical
assistance in eight countries. In Ukraine, GGF supports a wide
programme of reforms, including transparency and
anti-corruption initiatives, supporting economic growth and job
creation, and strengthening rule of law
