America, Britain and other G7 allies are looking at how Russian assets can be used to rebuild Ukraine after the “appalling devastation” caused by Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Liz Truss said on Wednesday.
The Foreign Secretary stressed that a new “Marshall Plan” was needed for Ukraine after parts of cities including Mariupol and Kharkhiv were obliterated, and many towns and villages largely reduced to ruins.
The Marshall Plan of 1948 saw the US backing spending millions of dollars on rebuilding post-war Europe, partly to protect it from Communist takeover.
As Mr Putin’s onslaught in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine was continuing, Ms Truss told Times Radio: ““We need a new Marshall Plan to rebuild Ukraine and in fact, we’ve just been discussing this at the G7 meeting that I had with my colleagues from around the world. We are looking at what we can do to use Russian assets to help pay for this.”
Speaking to Ukrainian MP Alexey Goncharenko, she added: “It is also my view that we need wider contributions too. Ukraine has been on the front line, not just fighting for your country in an incredibly brave way, but also standing up for freedom and democracy and European security.
“So we will, of course, work to make sure that Russia has to contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine. But we will also look at what else can be done. The vitally important point is that Ukraine is rebuilt after the appalling devastation that’s been visited on the country.”
After meetings of foreign ministers from Nato and the G7 (US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada), Ms Truss stressed how the West was seeking to tighten the vice on Mr Putin’s regime.
“We are stepping up the sanctions on Russia, we are stepping up the supply of weapons to Ukraine,” she explained.
“I really believe that Ukraine can prevail...in the appalling aggression that Russia has shown.”
She emphasised that Britain’s aim was to help Ukraine restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity and also “control Russian aggression in future so this can never happen again”.
As the conflict was nearing three months since its start on February 24, she added: “We have to be prepared for a long haul.
“Of course, we all hope it ends sooner rather than later and Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine but as yet we have seen no sign of that.”
Mr Putin still appeared to be set on trying to take control of the whole of Ukraine, she added, despite the heavy losses suffered by his forces.
She also made clear: “The British government supports the Ukrainians for the long haul, we are prepared to do what it takes, to carry on with our economic support, with our weapons support, as long as it takes for them to prevail.”
She also stressed that the UK is open to the idea of an international criminal tribunal trying Mr Putin and other Russian leaders and commanders for war crimes in Ukraine.
Asked on Times Radio by Ukrainian MP Mr Goncharenko if the UK would support the move, she said: “Well, we are very clear that Putin and all of those who’ve been behind the appalling war crimes that are being committed in Ukraine need to be held to account, and we’re working very closely with the ICC.
“We’ve sent support into Ukraine to help collect evidence, from witness statements to video evidence.
“I’ve talked to the Ukrainian government about this idea of a tribunal. We are open to the idea of a tribunal, we’re currently considering it, but what we want is the most effective way of prosecuting those people who have committed these appalling war crimes including rape, sexual violence, the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
“If the tribunal will help to do that, then the UK is definitely considering supporting it.”
