British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday (04.08.2022) the dispatch of more anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, following the attack on a train station that his German counterpart Olaf Scholz, visiting London, described as ” atrocious”. “The UK and Germany share exactly the same feeling of horror and revulsion at the brutality that is being unleashed, including the inconceivable bombing of refugees fleeing their homes this morning,” added the British prime minister, calling what happened a “crime of war”.
Stating that “Russia’s crimes in Ukraine will not go unpunished,” Johnson announced the delivery of 100 million pounds ($130 million, €120 million) worth of military hardware, including Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 other anti-tank missiles. The attack on the Kramatorsk station “shows the darkness in which the once reputable army of (Vladimir) Putin is plunged,” Johnson said at a joint press conference with Scholz.
London has already announced that it wants to end all purchases of Russian oil and coal this year, and eventually Russian gas, and calls on Europeans to do more. “We do everything we can,” Scholz said. “We are quite optimistic that we will get rid of the need to import gas from Russia very soon and, as the prime minister has said, we are working hard to achieve this,” he added.
Scholz said Germany might wean itself off Russian oil by the end of the year, but it would take Europe’s biggest economy a little longer to wean itself off Russian gas. Already before the summit, the British prime minister said on Twitter: “I welcome your principled determination to end dependence on Russian energy. How we respond to Russia’s invasion will define the international order for years to come.” years”.
lgc (afp / rtr / efe)