Ukraine’s long-term future to be on agenda at Sunak and Biden meeting

According to Rishi Sunak, when the two men meet in Washington, they will talk about the long-term security of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said there was still no “definitive answer” as to whether Russia was to blame for the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, but he indicated it would fit a “pattern of behavior” by Vladimir Putin’s forces. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday.

It’s estimated that more than 2,700 people escaped flood-affected districts on the river’s Russian and Ukrainian-controlled sides.

In a region where more than 60,000 people lived, it’s unclear if the disaster’s real scope has yet to be revealed.

Furthermore, the cause of the dam’s collapse is still unknown, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming one another for the devastation.

Mr Sunak told the BBC that if the damage caused was intentional, the UK would “work to hold those responsible to account”.

“Our military and security services are still conducting their investigation, so we don’t have a definitive answer on who was responsible.

“But if it does turn out to be Russia, I think it would fit with a pattern of behaviour throughout this war, which is where Russia as an active strategy deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure.

“If intentional, this attack would represent the largest attack on civilian infrastructure during the war. It’s harmed tens of thousands of people.”

Referencing the UK’s support for the International Criminal Court, Mr Sunak said: “We will also work to hold those responsible to account as we have been doing.”

Communities across the region are flooding, which has been dubbed a “ecological disaster” because to the dam failure.

Humanitarian help for Ukraine would be diverted to the region devastated by the destruction, according to earlier statements from Downing Street.

Mr. Sunak stated that when he visits the White House, the long-term destiny of Ukraine would be discussed in addition to the immediate response to the most recent catastrophe.

“I’ll be working closely with President Biden to make sure that we continue both of us supporting Ukraine with the resources it needs to defend itself in the here and now, but also thinking ahead to what kind of longer-term security arrangements and agreements we can put in place,” he said.

Pressed for specifics, he said: “Those are the conversations that I’ll be having with the President tomorrow.

“Because what we want to do is make sure that Ukraine can not just defend itself today, but for years into the future. That will also act as a deterrent to Russia for aggression and convince it that there is no point in persisting with this illegal and unprovoked war.

“We need to send a strong signal to Russia that this type of aggression will not go on unmet with a response and I think it’s important that the UK plays a leadership role in that as we have been doing.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency will receive an additional £750,000 from the UK, the country said on Wednesday, to boost its operations in Ukraine.

The agency’s permanent British representative, Corinne Kitsell, stated that the new UK funding would support the organization’s “vital work.”

“Russia’s barbaric attacks on Ukraine’s civil infrastructure and its illegal control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant runs contrary to all international nuclear safety and security norms,” she said.

“It claims to uphold nuclear safety standards, but its actions say otherwise.

“I commend the work of the IAEA’s staff in Ukraine and I am pleased that the UK’s additional funding will help to facilitate its vital work, particularly given the additional risk posed by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.”