Liz Truss says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could spell the ‘beginning of the end for Putin’ – but warns the conflict could be a ‘very long haul’ lasting YEARS
- Liz Truss says invasion of Ukraine ‘could be the beginning of the end for Putin’
- But Foreign Secretary said she fears war in Europe could last ‘a number of years’
- Said there can be no talks with Moscow until it removes all troops from Ukraine
- Came after US, UK and EU agreed further economic measures to punish Russia
- Allies have agreed to exclude some Russian banks from Swift banking system
- Boris Johnson said Ukrainians are ‘fighting heroically’ against Russian invasion
- Ireland today announced that it will be closing its airspace to all Russian aircraft
Liz Truss today claimed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be the ‘beginning of the end’ for Vladimir Putin but warned Europe must brace for the conflict to last for ‘a number of years’.
The Foreign Secretary suggested the Russian President had bitten off more than he can chew by attacking Ukraine as Western nations continue to roll out waves of severe sanctions to punish Moscow.
Ms Truss said she feared Mr Putin ‘is determined to use the most unsavoury means in this war’ as he faces tougher than expected resistance.
The Cabinet minister said she believes the conflict is not going to be over quickly and ‘we need to be prepared for a very long haul’.
The Kremlin said a Russian delegation has arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials.
But Ukraine has said it will not attend talks in Belarus after it was used as a staging ground for the Russian invasion.
Ms Truss said that ‘if the Russians are serious about negotiations they need to remove their troops from Ukraine’ because ‘they cannot negotiate with a gun to the head of the Ukrainians’.
She said talks cannot take place until all of Moscow’s forces leave the country and added that she believes the Russian’s ‘weren’t and aren’t serious about diplomacy’.
The Foreign Secretary’s comments came after Boris Johnson praised Ukrainians for ‘fighting heroically’ against the Russian invasion.
The UK and other western nations unveiled new measures overnight to hit Russia’s financial system.
Britain, the US, Canada and the European Union have agreed to exclude some Russian banks from the Swift global payments system – one of the foundations of the global banking system.
The nations also agreed to impose ‘restrictive measures’ to prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves ‘in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions’.
Mr Johnson said that the West is ‘tightening the economic ligature’ around Russia as it tries to punish Vladimir Putin.
It came as Ireland said it will close its airspace to all Russian aircraft and Australia signalled it is now willing to send lethal aid to help Ukraine.
Liz Truss today claimed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be the ‘beginning of the end’ for Vladimir Putin but warned Europe must brace for the conflict to last for ‘a number of years’
The Foreign Secretary suggested the Russian President had bitten off more than he can chew by attacking Ukraine as Western nations continue to roll out waves of severe sanctions to punish Moscow
Smoke rises above Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, this morning after Russian shelling
Russian forces have now entered Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv after failing in their efforts to seize control of the capital city of Kyiv.
Footage shared on social media on Sunday morning showed Russian army trucks rolling through the city of 1.4million people, which sits in Eastern Ukraine close to the border with Russia.
Soldiers were also seen marching through Kharkiv on foot, with a dramatic clip showing Russians slowly advancing along a road before running and firing their guns as Ukrainians opened fire on them.
Another clip shared online showed an army vehicle said to belong to the Russians ablaze, with locals saying it had been torched by Ukrainians seeking to defend their city.
Ms Truss told Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning that Europe must be ‘prepared for a very long haul’ because she does not expect the conflict to end quickly.
‘This could be a number of years because what we do know is Russia have strong forces but we know that the Ukrainians are brave, that they are determined to stand up for their sovereignty and territorial integrity and they are determined to fight,’ she said.
‘The sanctions that we are putting in place, and they are very, very tough sanctions, cutting the Russian economy at its knees, cutting access to the Western system, we have banned Aeroflot from flying into the United Kingdom, we are targeting key oligarchs, we have got s hit list of oligarchs.
‘But these will take time to have an effect and debilitate the Russian economy. We need to wean Europe off Russian oil and gas, this will take time.
‘So this is not going to be be, I fear, over quickly, but we need to be prepared for a very long haul.’
Ms Truss was asked if she believes Mr Putin could deploy greater firepower to overcome the Ukrainian’s fierce resistance.
She replied: ‘I fear you are absolutely right, Trevor, we have already seen the response from the Russian government.
‘We have seen the actions taken despite all of the warnings about the severe cost of this conflict in terms of humanitarian cost, in terms of cost for the Russian state.
‘This could well be the beginning of the end for Putin and I fear that he is determined to use the most unsavoury means in this war.
‘But he should be aware that the international criminal court is already looking at what is happening in Ukraine and there will be serious consequences for him personally and for the Russian government.’
Ms Truss rubbished offers from the Kremlin of talks with Ukraine as she said Russia is not ‘serious about diplomacy’.
She said: ‘Well, what we know is throughout the diplomatic discussions we have been having, the Russians have lied.
‘When I was in Moscow I was assured by Sergey Lavrov there would be no invasion of Ukraine. That was not true.
‘President Putin said there would be no invasion of Ukraine. That is not true. So what we know is that the Russian’s weren’t and aren’t serious about diplomacy.
‘This is why our efforts should be focused on supporting the Ukrainians fighting Ukraine to defend their country and cutting off the Russian economy from the international system and degrading the Russian economy.
‘Now, if the Russians are serious about negotiations they need to remove their troops from Ukraine. They cannot negotiate with a gun to the head of the Ukrainians.’
The Foreign Secretary said there had been ‘no signs’ of Russia withdrawing its forces.
Russian forces were filmed advancing through Kharkiv on Sunday morning – moments before gunfire rang out, sending some soldiers running while others returned fire
A Russian military vehicle is seen ablaze in Kharkiv on Sunday morning after troops entered the eastern Ukrainian city
Asked if she believes there should be no diplomatic talks until there is a complete withdrawal by Russia, she replied: ‘Absolutely.’
Mr Johnson has been urging Western nations to provide more support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking following a phone call with Mr Zelensky yesterday, Mr Johnson said the West had to do everything possible to change the ‘very heavy odds’ against Ukraine in its struggle against Moscow’s forces.
He confirmed Britain would be sending further arms to the Ukrainians and he said that new financial measures were essential to put pressure on the Kremlin.
‘It is incredibly important for tightening the economic ligature around the Putin regime,’ he told broadcasters during a visit to RAF Brize Norton.
He added: ‘Let’s be in no doubt, things are not going all the way of President Putin, very far from it.
‘The Ukrainians are fighting heroically, and in some places with great success, as many of us thought they would because they’re a great country and a very brave country.’
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated his country is considering sending military support to Ukraine via NATO after previously only committing to non-lethal aid.
‘I’ve just spoken to the defence minister and we’ll be seeking to provide whatever support we can for lethal aid through our NATO partners, particularly the US and the UK,’ Mr Morrison told reporters on Sunday in Sydney.
It came as Ms Truss said there would be ‘nowhere left to hide’ for super-rich allies of the Kremlin as she said the Foreign Office is preparing a ‘hit list’ of oligarchs to sanction.
Mr Johnson last week named eight high net worth Russians who will be hit by travel bans and asset freezes along with more than 100 individuals, entities and subsidiaries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains alive – and is fast becoming an international hero – as Vladimir Putin’s efforts to topple the Kyiv government and install his own puppet cabinet runs into trouble
Ukrainian servicemen take cover in a shelter at fighting positions at the military airbase Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ms Truss said there would be new names added to the list every few weeks as ministers seek to ratchet up the pressure on Mr Putin following his invasion of Ukraine.
‘We’ve already had letters to the Foreign Office, from lawyers, threatening us, so we have to make sure the cases are properly prepared and that we have the right evidence before we sanction these individuals,’ Mr Truss said.
‘That is why we’re taking it step by step, but we are working through that hit list and we will continue to sanction new oligarchs every few weeks.’
The West stepped up its action against Mr Putin last night as leaders finally agreed to exclude selected Russian banks from the Swift system.
Mr Johnson had been leading calls to make the move but he had faced opposition from some European leaders.
But last night the UK, the US, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy and Canada issued a joint statement announcing they had come to an agreement.
They said: ‘We commit to ensuring that selected Russian banks are removed from the SWIFT messaging system. This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally.’
One minister described excluding Russia from the banking system as the ‘ultimate economic sanction’.
The move came on the day the expected Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv failed to materialise.
However, on Sunday morning a Ukrainian official said Russian forces were fighting in the streets of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, hours after Russia blew up a nearby gas pipeline.
The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection warned that the explosion, which it said looked like a mushroom cloud, could cause an ‘environmental catastrophe’ and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.
Meanwhile, Ireland today announced that it is closing its airspace to all Russian aircraft.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney tweeted: ‘Shocking Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight. Ireland will move to shut off Irish airspace to all Russian aircraft.
‘We encourage other EU partners to do the same. We also support new wide-ranging sanctions to be agreed today at EU FAC & new assistance package for Ukraine.’
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