Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (James Manning/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Britain will offer more support to women in Ukraine who are victims of war rapists, the Foreign Secretary pledged on Monday.
Before flying to Warsaw for talks with her Ukrainian and Polish counterparts, Dmytro Kuleba and Zbigniew Rau, Liz Truss also called for tougher sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime to cripple his war machine and for more support to Ukraine including in peace negotiations.
“We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more,” she said.
“We will continue to support those who are suffering as a result of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, including the victims of sexual violence and those in need of humanitarian support.”
Distressing reports have emerged from Bucha, near Kyiv, and other areas of Russian soldiers raping and killing women.
Ms Truss stressed that a £10 million civil society fund will support organisations in Ukraine, including those helping women and girls who are victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
Britain has already pledged £394 million of aid or Official Development Assistance to Ukraine, including £220 million of humanitarian support, with more than five million medical items donated, the Foreign Office added.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern described reports of rape by Russian troops as “reprehensible”.
Ms Ardern stressed that her cabinet would consider further measures New Zealand could take.
She said on war crimes it was for “the International Criminal Court to make a determination, but the evidence is there and New Zealand is supporting the prosecutors in gathering that evidence”.
