Ritain said on Wednesday that the “era of engagement” with Russia was over and that Europe now needed a new security strategy based on “defense, deterrence and resilience”. Liz Truss was to deliver the milestone message at a NATO foreign ministers’ working dinner in Brussels, where she also called on the West to quickly and decisively supply more weapons to Ukraine. For years, the United Kingdom and other European nations have sought to remain committed to Vladimir Putin’s regime despite numerous offensive actions, including the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Novichok poisonings in 2018 in Salisbury.
Russia-Ukraine crisis: The first photos from the bombed theater of Mariupol A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP A view inside the Mariupol theater destroyed during the clashes in Mariupol AP However, the Foreign Minister stressed that Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, where his forces have committed atrocities widely condemned as war crimes with thousands of civilians being killed, meant that this policy should now be abandoned.
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“The era of engagement with Russia is over,” he was about to say. “We need a new approach to security in Europe based on resilience, defense and deterrence.” The 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act provided the formal basis for bilateral relations with Moscow, including the establishment of the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council as a forum for consultation and cooperation. However, Ms. Truss was expected to call it “dead” so far and that it represented an outdated approach to relations with the Kremlin. He also warned against creating excessive hopes for Russian troops, who had suffered heavy casualties and were forced to withdraw from Kyiv and other parts of northern Ukraine. “There is no time for false consolation,” he was expected to stress, as more details emerged about the horror perpetrated by Russian troops in Bucha, near Kyiv, and in other cities and towns. She was to add: “Russia is not retreating, but is regrouping and repositioning itself to push harder in the East and Southern Ukraine.” The cabinet minister was also expected to urge the West to step up support for Ukraine, including giving Volodymyr Zelensky’s army the weapons it needs to fight the Russian president’s invasion, tightening sanctions and strengthening defense so that there are no “security gaps” on NATO borders, as in Eastern Europe. It also called for a review of support for countries “trapped in the web of Russian influence”, such as Georgia, Moldova, Sweden and Finland.
