About 25 allied leaders agreed on Saturday to continue tightening restrictions on the Russian economy to force Putin to the negotiating table and end the war against Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference after a virtual meeting with international leaders, Bloomberg reports.
► Read “Minfin” on Instagram: the main news about investments and finances
“The impact of sanctions on the Russian economy has been quite significant. We should not underestimate the impact they have already had, and tightening sanctions will lead to even more pressure,” Starmer said.
The British prime minister added that Western countries are building up their political and military capabilities, and after the allies made additional commitments to help Ukraine following the start of a full-scale invasion, they are moving into an “operational phase” of achieving security guarantees.
He also noted that on Thursday, March 20, the allied military leaders will meet for further talks.
“It is vitally important at this point that we put maximum pressure on Russia,” Starmer said, accusing Putin of dragging his feet on a ceasefire.
Confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Federation
The online meeting also discussed the confiscation of frozen Russian assets to help finance Ukraine's defence, although Starmer again stressed that there were political and legal obstacles to such a move.
What others said
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamisz said European countries and their allies were “very motivated” to move towards peace, and there was little optimism for more than two weeks.
“Everyone is set to put pressure on the bosses. The ball is in Russia's court. Now Russia needs to show its true intentions: do they really want peace or are these just empty words aimed at dragging out the negotiations?” he said.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told reporters that all countries have expressed their readiness to contribute to ensuring peace, but it is too early to talk about practical assistance in the peacekeeping mission.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney told other leaders that she does not envisage her country's participation in any ground missions in Ukraine.
The leaders plan to present their proposals to Donald Trump soon, whom they seek to persuade to provide US security guarantees through air support, intelligence and surveillance abroad – without the need to send US troops as part of a peacekeeping force.
Online meeting
The online meeting of state leaders on support for Ukraine, which took place on March 15, was attended by 29 state leaders.
🕵️ We created a short survey to learn more about our readers.
💛💙 Your answers will help us become better, pay more attention to the topics that interest you.
🤗 We would be grateful if you could take a minute to answer our questions.