UK's Liz Truss to address Bosnia & Herzegovina' troops, warn West against appeasing Putin

As Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered its fourth month, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is scheduled to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday to address the Armed Forces of the country on the Balkan Peninsula. Her visit aims to request the UK's Western allies to make sure that Russian President Vladimir Putin loses in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office late Wednesday. Truss will also warn against appeasing Russian President Putin. 

According to the Foreign Office, the British Foreign Secretary would stress that "Russia’s aggression cannot be appeased. It must be met with strength. We must be relentless in ensuring Ukraine prevails through military aid and sanctions. We cannot take our foot off the accelerator now." 

US, UK and EU to form the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group

Truss’s remarks came at a time when the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have decided to form the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) to guarantee that their respective contributions to accountability programs are coordinated effectively. In the midst of Russian aggression, the ACA will reinforce current efforts by the EU, US, and the UK to raise accountability for war crimes. It was formed in order to show global solidarity and support for Ukraine, which is now witnessing destruction and deaths of its civilians in the face of Russian aggression.

The mission of the ACA is to help Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) in investigating and prosecuting war crimes. The ACA intends to offer coordination and communication initiatives to maintain best practices, eliminate duplication of efforts, and support the rapid deployment of financial resources and professional individuals to satisfy the OPG's requirements for handling war crimes prosecution on its own turf. 

Earlier in the month of May, Truss asserted that Russian assets confiscated in the UK might be used to help pay for Ukraine's post-war rebuilding. Following Russia's military incursion in Ukraine on February 24, Western nations such as the US and the UK rallied to Kyiv's defence. Truss has already accused Putin's soldiers of war crimes and has promised to bring the Kremlin accountable. 

Meanwhile, the UK government issued penalties on major Russian airlines on Thursday, May 19. The new sanctions will prevent airlines from earning up to £50 million ($4,83,91,70,451) on arrival slots at UK airports. Russian state-owned Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, and Rossiya Airlines are among the airlines blacklisted in the latest sanctions. 

(Image: AP)