UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is planning to visit Ukraine this week as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent a war in the region.
The foreign secretary is planning to give a speech in the capital Kiev, where she is expected to underscore the principle of national sovereignty and call on Russia to pursue diplomacy.
The Foreign Office said Ms Truss will visit Ukraine, Poland and Germany, where she is expected to reiterate the UK’s call for Russia to abide by its commitments, respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and warn Moscow that pursuing a path of aggression will lead to severe economic sanctions.
On the trip, Ms Truss will meet her Ukrainian and Polish counterparts, Dmytro Kuleba and Zbigniew Rau, in a demonstration of unified support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
On Saturday, the foreign secretary will then attend the Munich Security Conference where the Foreign Office said she will strengthen security ties with some of the UK’s major strategic allies.
In a planned speech in Kiev, Ms Truss is expected to say: “We want to live in a world where people are in charge of their own future, free from aggression and coercion, where security is truly indivisible and where nations respect the sovereignty of others, and live up to their commitments.
“That means working together with our friends in Ukraine and beyond to face down threats wherever they are across the world.
“I urge Russia to take the path of diplomacy. We are ready to talk. But we are very clear — if they decide to continue down the path of aggression, there will be massive consequences bringing Russia severe economic costs and pariah status.”
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A bomb shelter underneath Kiev's Central Train Station. The underground shelter can offer protection to the workers on shift and about 2,000 civilians. AP -
An aerial image of attack helicopters on the runway at Zyabrovka airfield in Belarus. AP -
A Ukrainian servicewoman disinfects the wounds of a dog injured by razor wire at a frontline position outside Popasna, the Luhansk region, in eastern Ukraine. AP -
An interior view shows a kindergarten, which according to Ukraine's military officials was damaged by shelling, in Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina, 87, at her house right next to the border with Belarus. Ms Silina would take the rubbish out on the Belarusian side of the border opposite the twisty stream. Then the troubles started and the Russian tanks came. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman at a frontline position outside Popasna in eastern Ukraine. AP -
A child copies the position of Ukrainian servicemen standing at attention during the national anthem in Sievierodonetsk, eastern Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers pose for a picture as the country observes a Day of Unity in Odessa. AP -
Lorries queue at the Goptivka border crossing between Ukraine and Russia, near the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, amid growing tension. EPA -
Ukrainian border guards patrol along the border with Russia, near Kharkiv. EPA -
Four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets in Cyprus. The UK sent the additional jets to boost air patrols over eastern Europe. PA -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, second from right, is briefed on preparations at the site of a military drill outside the city of Rivne. AFP -
Nato defence ministers in Brussels, Belgium. The military alliance says Russia is still sending troops to the border with Ukraine, contradicting Moscow’s claims of a drawdown. Reuters -
Ukraine's Senkivka checkpoint near the border with Belarus and Russia. Reuters -
The Motherland Monument in Kiev, Ukraine. The country is on high alert for the possibility of an invasion by its neighbour Russia. AP -
Valentyna Konstantynovska, 79, holds a weapon during basic combat training for civilians in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A satellite image shows a housing area and equipment for troops in Rechitsa, Belarus, where Russian forces are holding joint military exercises. Reuters -
US soldiers prepare to leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for Europe, where they are being sent as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine escalates. AFP -
Ukrainian soldiers at the site where a rocket landed close to their positions during the night on a front line near Popasna, eastern Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian servicemen survey an area that was shelled overnight on Tuesday close to their positions on a front line outside Popasna, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A Ukrainian teenager helps a church minister reinforce basements in a centre for children in the Ukrainian village of Chervone. AFP -
A Ukrainian teenager digs trenches for soldiers serving on their country's eastern front and facing off with Russian-backed separatists, near Chervone. AFP -
A Ukrainian border guard at a crossing to Belarus in Vilcha. Getty -
A child tries to remove ammunition from a clip during basic combat training for civilians organised by the National Guard in eastern Ukraine. AP -
Rumia, 59, a member of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force, trains near the capital Kiev. AP -
Smoke rises over the Gozhsky training ground during Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. AP -
Ukrainians march to show solidarity and patriotic spirit in Kiev. Getty -
A Ukrainian National Guard member shows civilians in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, how to adopt a firing position. AP -
A military helicopter fires missiles during the Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. AP -
A pedestrian passes through the only open crossing point between territory held by pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government controlled territory in Stanytsia Luhanska, eastern Ukraine. AP -
US soldiers on parade during the visit of Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, near Constanta, eastern Romania. AP
Russia could drag out the crisis over Ukraine for weeks – or even months – in an attempt to undermine Western unity, Ms Truss warned on Wednesday.
Ms Truss said it was essential not to be “lulled into a false sense of security” by Moscow’s claims it was beginning draw back its forces from the borders of its southern neighbour.
The UK foreign secretary's visit comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready for talks and emphasised the need for the West to grant his main demands.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed troops are returning to base following the conclusion of military exercises near the border, with units crossing out of Crimea on Wednesday.
But Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “we have not seen any withdrawal of Russian forces”.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday that Russia had “a very significant force … that would overwhelm Ukraine should it be deployed” and reiterated advice from the Foreign Office for British citizens to “seek to either leave or avoid travel to Ukraine”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that the UK’s embassy in Kiev will remain open, despite the risk of an invasion and the decisions made by allies to close their diplomatic missions in the country.
