Boris Johnson to host Baltic, Nordic leaders to find new ways to isolate Russia's economy
March 14, 2022, 7:17 am

Boris Johnson to host Baltic, Nordic leaders to find new ways to isolate Russia's economy

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (File photo: Official Facebook page)

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank on Tuesday to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new ways to isolate Russia's economy.

The leaders from countries in the Joint Expeditionary Force, a British-led grouping made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden will meet for talks in London on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, Johnson's office said, the leaders are expected to agree to more military exercises in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea and will discuss the war in Ukraine and energy security.

Russian bombing of home buildings (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

Johnson said in a statement: "European security has been shaken by the attack of Russia on Ukraine, and alongside our partners, we will take action to ensure we emerge stronger and more united than before."

"Ensuring we are resilient to Putin's threats needs to go beyond our military footing - together alongside our North and Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia's interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and values."

Russian forces have 'completely destroyed' an entire Ukraine city

Britain has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities, promised to phase out Russian oil imports and banned Russian companies from raising debt and equity in its financial center.

Source: aawsat

Russian forces have 'completely destroyed' an entire Ukraine city UK Ukrainian refugees scheme set to launch offeirng £350 a month to hospitable Britons

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.