UK, Netherlands and Canada create International Ukraine Support Group to provide coordinated aid
The UK, Netherlands and Canada today created the International Ukraine Support Group to ensure there is “unwavering assistance now and in the future” to Ukraine.
Boris Johnson, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Dutch PM Mark Rutte made the announcement today, after the trio met in London today.
The Prime Minister said “we will be encouraging more countries to join us” and that “this is the moment for Ukraine’s friends to create a coalition of humanitarian, economic and defensive military support to ensure that Putin fails”.
Johnson said at a press conference that the UK had given a further £175m of economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s government, bringing the total to around £400m.
“It’s already clear Putin has made a misaculation,” Johnson said.
“He has underestimated the Ukrainians, their heroic resistance. He’s underestimated their leader. He’s underestimated the unity of the West. We’ll continue to do everything we can to strengthen that unity in the days ahead to make sure Putin fails in that catastrophic invasion of Ukraine.”
It comes as the UK government today came under fire for its efforts on taking in Ukrainian refugees.
It was reported yesterday that the UK had taken in just 50 of the near 2m Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion of their country.