The West must ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has assaulted Ukraine, fails and his ambitions go no further, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said while on a visit in Lithuania.
“The UK stands with our allies and does all we can do to support Ukraine against Putin’s war choice. We must ensure Putin fails in this horrific enterprise and his ambitions go no further,” Truss said after a meeting with the foreign ministers of the Baltic states in Vilnius on Thursday.
According to her, the Baltic states were “aware of what is at stake, having long lived in the shadow of Russia’s aggression”.
“I admire your courage, and we are working together to deliver two clear objectives. First, Putin must lose in Ukraine. We are helping Ukraine defend itself – our defensive weapons from the UK are now being used to stop Russian tanks,” Truss said.
“Secondly, we must contain this aggression. We are reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank and supporting European security through the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force,” she added.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said during the news conference that “it is no longer possible to move ahead by half a step”.
“We have to do everything to make sure that both political and financial support, as well as support with weapons, which is necessary for Ukraine today, reaches the country,” he added.
According to the foreign minister, the defence support for the Baltic countries should shift “from deterrence to defence, which requires both changes in the political approach and practical measures”.
“They are necessary for all three Baltic countries to make sure that any aggressor that decides to test NATO’s resilience in this region is repelled immediately,” Landsbergis said.
During their meeting in Vilnius, the ministers discussed the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine and ways to support Kyiv. They also talked about the security situation of the Baltic states and ways to bolster their defence.
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