Britain, Poland and Ukraine are set to strengthen ties in the face of threats of a new Russian military invasion, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives in Kyiv for talks.
In a joint press conference held by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, it was revealed that the three countries hope to unveil a formal trilateral pact in the 'near future,' as the neighbours described their proximity to Russia as like 'living at the foot of a volcano.'
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'I hope that in the near future we will be able to officially launch a new regional format of cooperation [between] Ukraine-Poland-UK,' Shmyhal said, per Reuters. 'In the context of ongoing Russian aggression, we should sign a trilateral document on cooperation to strengthen regional security.'
It's not clear what form of assistance or cooperation the UK would provide through this pact, however Morawiecki said Poland would commit to offering economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as gas and arms supplies.
He added that foreign officials were 'working on a potential format that could tighten cooperation on various fields between Poland, Ukraine and Britain.'
The UK Prime Minister flew into Ukraine this afternoon for talks with the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky amid mountain tensions with Russia.
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Johnson was due to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, January 31, but was forced to cancel following the publication of the Sue Gray report.
His visit comes a day after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed that the UK and Western allies were drawing up a new package of sanctions targeting Russian officials that would be introduced in the event of any further incursions.
In recent weeks the UK has been supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to the amassing of around 100,000 Russian troops on the country's border.
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During today's conference Morawiecki and Shmyhal also criticised proposals for a new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, calling on the NATO ally to halt the plans.
'Through launching this pipeline, Berlin is loading Putin's pistol, which he can then use to blackmail the whole of Europe,' Morawiecki said.
Nord Stream 2 has been heavily criticised by Ukraine as well as a number of NATO partners, including the United States, over concerns that it would serve to increase Russian influence over European nations reliant on its supply.
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Topics: Russia, Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, World News
Hannah Smith