Truss travels to Russia today in bid to ‘de-escalate’ Ukraine crisis
Liz Truss will meet Russia’s foreign minister in Moscow today in a bid to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis and “pursue a diplomatic solution”.
The foreign secretary said in the lead up to her trip that Russia “should be in no doubt about the strength of our response”, referencing the raft of sanctions Nato countries will level at Moscow if Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine.
It is estimated that Russia has 140,000 troops now at different points on the Ukrainian border, with US intelligence this week estimating an attack could be days away.
Emmanuel Macron travelled to Moscow to meet Putin earlier this week, with the French president taking a less hawkish line than the UK and US has during the crisis.
Macron said Putin had given him assurances that he will not escalate the crisis further, however Truss said on Sunday that any notion that Moscow has no plans to invade Ukraine is “false”.
“The UK is determined to stand up for freedom and democracy in Ukraine. I’m visiting Moscow to urge Russia to pursue a diplomatic solution and make clear that another Russian invasion of a sovereign state would bring massive consequences for all involved,” she said.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the strength of our response. We have said many times that any further invasion would incur severe costs, including through a coordinated package of sanctions.
“Russia has a choice here. We strongly encourage them to engage, de-escalate and choose the path of diplomacy.”