Prime minister Boris Johnson today told leaders of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) that more support must be given to Ukraine “as a matter of the greatest urgency”.
He agreed with the the leaders of Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Latvia that more sanctions are needed to hit Russia, including targeting Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
A No 10 spokesman said: “He reiterated that this was a defining moment in European history, with global implications. The prime minister said he believed the Ukrainian people would continue to fight and had done so gallantly in the recent hours and days.”
Meanwhile, Britain remains on guard against a possible Russian attack on its troops and is bracing itself for cyberstrikes, a defence minister has said.
In talks with Nato leaders this afternoon, Boris Johnson is to renew his call for Russia to be excluded from a crucial international bank transfer system.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western powers to act immediately to lock Russia out of the Swift system, which would place a significant barrier to its oil and gas industries receiving payments from abroad.
The move was included in the package of sanctions unveiled by Mr Johnson on Thursday, but has been resisted by Germany and Italy, with France also expressing reservations. The UK cannot go ahead without the agreement of partners in the Belgian-based system.
Germany and Italy resisting closure of Swift to Russian money, despite call for action from Ukraine