UK at G7 meet calls for stringent sanctions against Russia, avers 'Putin must be defeated'

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, on Thursday, appealed to the international allies to invoke stringent sanctions on Russia until it completely withdraws its forces from Ukraine. Addressing the G7 leaders in Germany, she said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been humiliating himself on the world stage and urged her counterparts to invoke further sanctions until Moscow agrees on peace. Truss also called her fellow G7 foreign ministers for financial and technical assistance to rebuild Ukraine.

"Putin is humiliating himself on the world stage. We must ensure he faces a defeat in Ukraine that denies him any benefit and ultimately constrains further aggression," said the UK's Foreign Secretary.

At the G7 meeting, which was joined by the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Moldova in Germany's Schleswig-Holstein, Truss argued that the war-ravaged country needs artillery shells, as well as training and expertise from NATO members to counter the Russian aggression. She urged NATO members to prepare a roadmap to deliver all the necessary war equipment to Kyiv by the end of this month. "The best long-term security for Ukraine will come from it being able to defend itself. That means providing Ukraine with a clear pathway to Nato-standard equipment," said Truss, according to a statement released after the G7 meeting. 

UK imposes new round of sanctions against Putin

The United Kingdom has been invoking back-to-back sanctions on Russia and its top leaders since the beginning of the brutal war in Ukraine. Recently, on May 9, it announced a new package of sanctions on Russia and Belarus targeting £1.7 billion worth of trade in a move designed to further weaken Putin’s war machine. With the latest announcement, the statement said it brought the total value of products subjected to full or partial import and export sanctions to more than £4 billion.

"This far-reaching package of sanctions will inflict further damage on the Russian war machine. It is part of a wider coordinated effort by the many countries around the world who are horrified by Russia’s conduct and determined to bring to bear our economic might to persuade Putin to change course," according to Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan.   

Image: AP