British Foreign Secretary to pay her first visit to Ukraine
Photo: Getty Images
On 17 February, Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, will pay her first visit to Ukraine at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported this.
"The visit of the head of the British Foreign Office is aimed at deepening the relations of strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, coordination of further actions to strengthen security on the European continent," the statement said.
Kuleba and Truss will hold talks on joint measures to deter Russia from further aggression, as well as practical support from the United Kingdom in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
The diplomats will discuss a wide range of issues of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom in security, including cybersecurity, as well as in trade and investment.
A joint press conference following the talks will take place on February 17 at about 3.30 pm online.
In the event of aggression against Ukraine, Russia will inevitably become an outcast, Liz Truss said the day before.
"I urge Russia to choose the path of diplomacy. We're ready to talk. But we make it clear that if they decide to continue the aggression, there will be serious consequences that will cost the Russian economy dearly and bring it outcast status," the statement said.
The Secretary called on Russia for diplomacy. If the situation escalates, sanctions will be imposed on Russia, she added.
Earlier, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, after Russia's refusal to send a representative to the OSCE meeting initiated by Ukraine, made a statement, the text of which is published on the government's website.
"Russia is clearly not fulfilling its international commitment to transparency. If the Kremlin is serious about a diplomatic settlement, it needs to be present at diplomatic meetings and hold meaningful talks. Russia's refusal to participate in the OSCE talks demonstrates its disregard for its commitments. The aggressor here is Russia, whose troops are a clear threat to Ukraine, and Britain and our allies are urging the Kremlin to withdraw its troops and start discussions based on NATO proposals to increase transparency and reduce the risk of escalation," she said.
Earlier, Liz Truss said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would cause huge losses and further undermine stability in Europe.
