We need to make sure Russian economy is crippled: UK foreign secretary

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) – The West needs to cripple Russia’s economy to make sure that President Vladimir Putin fails in Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Thursday.

“We need to make sure, as I’ve said, that the Russian economy is crippled so it is unable to continue to fund Putin and the war machine,” she said at a joint news conference in Lithuania along with her counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

“We must ensure Putin fails in this horrific enterprise and his ambitions go no further.”

Truss was in Lithuania to convey the UK’s support to the three Baltic states, who she said “know what’s at stake, having long lived in the shadow of Russian aggression.”

She said the UK and its allies have two clear objectives with regards to Putin’s “war of choice” in Ukraine.

“First, Putin must lose in Ukraine. We’re helping Ukraine defend itself, our defensive weapons … are now being used to stop Russian tanks, but we need to do more,” said Truss.

“Secondly, we must contain this aggression. We are reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank and supporting European security through the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force.”

Hailing the anti-war protests in Russia, Truss said she does not believe Putin “speaks on behalf of Russian people.”

“What we have seen over the last week is some very brave people in Russia protesting, standing up against the regime,” said Truss.

“And we need to make sure that we get the information to them about what is actually happening. It is much harder to control information in the world of social media.”