UK, France agree to provide more support to Ukraine

The UK and France on Sunday agreed to provide more support to Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said on Sunday.

This came after Johnson met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 summit being held at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, Germany.

Since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the first in-person gathering of the world’s seven leading economies began on Sunday with leaders discussing the war-driven food and energy crises.

“They agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war,” a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

Both leaders “stressed the need to support Ukraine to strengthen their hand in both the war and any future negotiations. President Macron praised the Prime Minister’s ongoing military support to Ukraine and the leaders agreed to step up this work,” the statement said.

In a Twitter post, Johnson said: “Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine, they need the support and resolve of the G7 more than ever.”

The UK government also confirmed on Sunday that a ban will be imposed on Russian gold imports, saying new exports of Russian gold will no longer be allowed to enter the UK, Canada, US and Japan.

“London is a major global gold trading hub and UK sanctions, which will be the first of their kind to be implemented against Russia anywhere in the world, will have a huge impact on Putin’s ability to raise funds,” the government said in a statement.