During visit to Sarajevo and Prague, Foreign Minister says West must make sure Putin loses in Ukraine

• Foreign Minister Liz Truss visits Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Thursday, where she will use an address for BiH armed forces to urge partners to continue to rally behind Ukraine, saying “we can’t take our foot off the accelerator now”

• Truss aims to mobilize $100 million in UK-backed investment in the Western Balkans by 2025, through an investment partnerships program

• Truss to reaffirm UK’s commitment to peace and stability in the Western Balkans, in the face of malign Russian influence

Foreign Minister Liz Truss will today (Thursday May 26) warn against ‘appeasement’ Vladimir Putin and tell allies and partners there must be no ‘backsliding’ in the support for Ukraine.

Truss will use a speech to BiH armed forces to rally allies for greater support for Ukraine, including providing more weapons and targeted sanctions, and say “we all need to learn the lessons of history” in standing up to Putin, ensuring he loses in Ukraine. BiH has been a vocal partner in the region, speaking out against Russia’s illegal behavior in Ukraine.

In a speech at BiH armed forces at the Army Hall in Sarajevo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will say:

Russia’s aggression cannot be appeased. It must be faced with force.

We must not allow a protracted and increasingly painful conflict to develop in Ukraine.

We must be relentless in ensuring Ukraine’s victory through military aid and sanctions. We can’t take our foot off the accelerator now.

Truss will also reaffirm the UK’s commitment to peace and stability in the Western Balkans, announcing that the UK plans to deepen its security and economic partnership with BiH in the face of secessionists and Russian attempts to influence and destabilize the country, a quarter of a century since one of the worst conflicts in Europe. She will announce her goal of mobilizing $100 million in UK-backed investment in the Western Balkans by 2025, through an Investment Partnerships Programme.

Addressing secessionists from within BiH directly, after sanctioning 2 political figures last month for their destabilizing behavior, Truss will say:

The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina lies in sovereignty and self-determination, in a closer partnership with NATO and countries like the United Kingdom.

On Friday May 27, the British Foreign Minister continues her European visit by arriving in Prague for talks with Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. She will commend the Czech Republic for its firm stance towards Russia, including supplying tanks to Ukraine, and urge more countries to follow its example.

Truss will also urge allies, including the Czech Republic, to work together on a new Marshall Plan for Ukraine, ensuring the country’s rapid reconstruction.

In Prague, the Foreign Secretary will also sign a declaration of intent to agree a bilateral strategic framework between the UK and the Czech Republic, ensuring that we work more closely together in a number of areas, including security cooperation, trade, science and innovation, and climate. .