Chancellor Healey to seek Russian LNG ban at IMF meetings
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Wednesday for talks expected to pair accelerated air defence deliveries to Kyiv with new sanctions on Moscow, the British government announced. It will be the pair’s second meeting since Burnham became prime minister; the first, in late July, came days after Burnham entered No. 10, and included a joint appearance with troops at a naval base in Portsmouth. The two leaders also met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
Speaking ahead of the Wednesday meeting, Burnham said the UK was with Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” adding that “Russian aggression cannot be allowed to succeed on our continent.” He also framed British backing for Kyiv as central to UK national security, saying: “Our rock-solid support to Ukraine is vital for keeping us safe here in the UK and ensuring those on the frontlines have the equipment they need to push back Russia.”
Among the measures to be announced is faster delivery of British Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs), on top of an earlier UK commitment to send more than 5,000 of the missiles, worth £1.6 billion, over the next four years. “My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe,” Burnham said. “It is not just the right thing to do, but it’s the necessary thing to do.”
Chancellor John Healey will use International Monetary Fund meetings to urge allies to ban Russian liquefied natural gas and to step up support for Kyiv, the government said. The UK will also reaffirm its plans to fully implement a maritime services ban on Russian LNG exports.
The Downing Street meeting follows what Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described as “very difficult few days” for UK-US relations after Trump moved to ease sanctions on Russian diesel. Zelensky criticised the US-Russia deal, calling it a “gift” to Putin; Trump responded by calling for new leadership in Ukraine and criticising Zelensky for striking Russian oil refineries. Healey will also ask partners to ensure Russia heeds the US call for a full energy ceasefire.
Trump claimed on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire, but hours later Zelensky said Russian attacks on energy facilities had continued. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine did not deserve the “respite” a ceasefire would bring.