This is the first visit of a British Foreign Secretary to Ukraine.
On Thursday, February 17, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss is on a working visit to Kiev. She met with Ukrainian colleague Dmitry Kuleba. In particular, they discussed the deepening of strategic partnership relations between Ukraine and Britain, measures to contain the Russian Federation, and strengthen the defense capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
TSN.ua collected the main statements that were voiced by Liz Truss at a joint briefing with Dmitry Kuleba in Kiev.
“I am amazed at the resilience of the Ukrainian people”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Thrus said she was amazed at the level of resilience shown by the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government. She assured that the UK is on the side of Ukraine, and that the British government will continue to support our people.
“I am amazed at the level of resilience of the people and the government. We remain by your side. We are honored to be a key partner of Ukraine. We provide weapons and finances in support of energy independence. We will organize cooperation on the basis of sanctions and the fight against disinformation . Russia should think about its actions” Truss said.
Financial assistance from the UK
The UK will provide additional financial support to Ukraine – will give another 1 billion pounds. “When the prime minister visited Kiev earlier this month, he announced £88m in support of Ukraine's democracy and energy security. Today I can announce the next component of our support – an increase in funding for these projects to £100m,” Truss said.
Russia will pay a “high price” in case of an attack on Ukraine
Britain's Foreign Secretary has threatened Russia if it launches a new invasion of Ukraine. Britain and its allies are ready to impose “tough” sanctions against the Russian Federation and have argued that Nord Stream 2 will not be completed. She also said that if Russia allowed the war in Ukraine, she would confirm the international status of “exile”.
“I spoke with Lavrov and conveyed the message that Russia will pay if it does not respect the independence of Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 will not be completed. The Ukrainian people have chosen the path of freedom and the world is ready to support it,” Truss said.
Russian troops near Ukrainian borders
Liz Truss said that they see no visible signs that Russian troops are withdrawing from the border and called on the Russian Federation to de-escalate the conflict. She believes that at present the Russian Federation is “on the edge of the abyss.”
“Russia should once again think about its actions. Despite Russian statements, there is no evidence that the troops are withdrawing. The Russian Federation must move away from the edge of the abyss and resort to diplomacy,” Truss said.
Provocations from the Russian Federation
The head of the British Foreign Office stressed that they warn Ukraine about the possibility of provocations from Russia. The British minister called it a “false flag operation”. The United Kingdom stated that it was Russia that was the aggressor of the conflict.
“We will continue to identify these false flag operations, we will continue to detect their cyber attacks and attempts to undermine stability in Ukraine,” Truss said.
Recall, Ukraine, Great Britain and Poland on Thursday, February 17, officially announced the creation of a trilateral format of cooperation. “It says, in particular, that the UK and Poland will stand side by side with the Ukrainian people in efforts to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders. Poland and the UK will help us defend our state ,” – said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.
Before that, on February 15, Kuleba and Truss agreed on the next steps to counter Russian aggression. The British Secretary of State supported Ukraine's initiative to engage risk reduction mechanisms in accordance with the Vienna Document and assured of support for Ukrainian initiatives in the OSCE.
Read also:
