Shoulder to Ukraine...’
National Security and Defence Council was also named. Labour said it is “completely unified” with the Government on its approach to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said:
“I think that what is really important – and Putin knows this – is that we have to be completely unified on this.
“We have to be strong and we have to be unified, whether it is in
Nato, our surrounding allies, and we have to play our part as the opposition also in making sure we in Britain stand unified against this threat.” Ms Thornberry also called for the Government to utilise a “new generation of sanctions”, including investigating the “unexplained wealth” of Putin allies living in the UK. Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, said he believes Britain’s intelligence on the plot to install a puppet government. He said: “I do believe that. It’s not the first time they’re trying to do so, historically and in recent times.” Mr Prystaiko
said Ukraine is “prepared to fight”, but said the country is not well-equipped for a prolonged conflict.
He said the issue is whether it would be a “full-scale invasion” or “smaller things just to annoy us and the rest of the world to show his [Putin’s] strength”.
Mr Prystaiko said Ukraine would like to join the European Union and Nato, adding: “That’s what we made clear eight years ago and that’s why Russians came, and it didn’t change our resolve even an inch.”
He said he was “disappointed” in the response so far from Nato.
“Nobody is preparing their forces,” he said. “They’re not moving even towards their own borders right now, still believing in a peaceful diplomatic resolution.”
He said Germany is “somehow in the mode of trying to befriend Russians”.
“I don’t know if it’s because they’re buying most of the Russian gas or they like the fur coats or something else from Russia,” he said
Meanwhile, the US continued to ship military aid promised by President Joe Biden to Ukraine amid the stand-off with Russia.
The first supplies landed in Kiev on Friday including “close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine”.
Yesterday, airmen and civilians from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron were seen loading ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base, in Delaware, US.
Washington has also endorsed a move by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to send US-made weapons to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Saturday to salute the three Nato nations and former Soviet republics “for their longstanding support to Ukraine”.