London [UK]: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that London would boost sanctions against Russia over the military operation in Ukraine, the Downing Street said on Wednesday.
"The Prime Minister committed to further tighten these sanctions in order to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia. He outlined the work the UK is doing to provide the military equipment Ukraine needed to defend itself," Downing Street said in a statement.
This comes a day after Zelenskyy said British PM has committed to a new "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine and hinted the US and allies will garner support for the plan.
Speaking in a video posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy had said, "There will be a new Marshall Plan for Ukraine. The West will form this support package. The British Prime Minister said this today. A man of his word, a sincere friend of Ukraine."
The Marshall Plan was an initiative to rebuild Europe after World War II in a bid to stave off Communist influence, CNN reported citing the US Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute.
Zelenskyy also had said he is grateful to the UK for offering to phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.
Johnson and Zelenskyy also accused Russia of failing to respect the ceasefire agreements in humanitarian corridors. Meanwhile, Russia blames the Ukrainian forces for the agreements' collapse.
On February 24, Russia launched a "special operation" after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested assistance to defend themselves from ongoing attacks by the Ukrainian troops.
The Western countries have strongly condemned this operation as unproved military aggression and boosted the sanctions pressure on Moscow. (ANI)
