Foreign Secretary is to visit a number of key European allies this week,
as part of the UK’s efforts to lead international opposition to
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
She will visit Ukraine, Poland and Germany to reinforce the UK’s
steadfast support for Ukraine and deliver a keynote speech in
which she will call for nations to respect the sovereignty of
others, and live up to their commitments. She will also
call for Russia to do as it says and deescalate tensions at the
border with Ukraine.
During her visit, Truss will meet her Ukraine counterpart,
Foreign Minister Kuleba and Polish Foreign Minister Rau - to
demonstrate unified support for Ukrainian sovereignty and warn
Russia if they decide to pursue the path of aggression, there
will be severe economic consequences.
On Saturday, she will then attend the Munich Security Conference
to strengthen security ties with some of the UK’s key strategic
allies.
Foreign Secretary will say in her speech in Kyiv:
“We want to live in a world where people are in charge of
their own future, free from aggression and coercion, where
security is truly indivisible and where nations respect the
sovereignty of others, and live up to their commitments.
“That means working together with our friends in Ukraine and
beyond to face down threats wherever they are across the
world.
“I urge Russia to take the path of diplomacy. We are ready to
talk. But we are very clear – if they decide to continue down the
path of aggression, there will be massive consequences bringing
Russia severe economic costs and pariah status.”
The UK is spearheading ongoing diplomatic and deterrence
efforts. This week the Prime Minister spoke to President
Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the situation in
Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary spoke to the ‘Quad’ of Foreign
Ministers from Germany, US and France. She has also spoke
to Ukrainian, Canadian, and Danish Foreign Ministers this week.
On the deterrence track, the Defence Secretary was in Brussels
yesterday for NATO Defence Ministers.
During the Foreign Secretary’s visit, she will push Russia to
abide by the international agreements it has already signed up to
- including the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, Minsk Protocols, and the
Budapest memorandum - guaranteeing to respect the independence
and sovereignty of Ukraine.
This week’s visit follows the recent announcement of legislation
for the UK’s strongest ever sanctions regime against Russia. The
new approach gives the UK unprecedented power to sanction a much
broader range of individuals and businesses linked to Russia’s
strategic interests, leaving those in and around the Kremlin with
nowhere to hide.
