PM call with JEF leaders: 25 February 2022

The Prime Minister spoke to the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) this morning to discuss the unfolding catastrophe in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister told representatives from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Latvia that the western world must keep the flame of freedom burning in Ukraine as Russian forces inflict horror on an innocent country and its people.
He reiterated that this was a defining moment in European history, with global implications. The Prime Minister said he believed the Ukrainian people would continue to fight and had done so gallantly in the recent hours and days.
The leaders agreed that more sanctions were needed, including focusing on President Putin’s inner circle, building on the measures that had already been agreed.
More support must be given to Ukraine, as a matter of the greatest urgency, the Prime Minister urged. President Putin’s damaging actions could never be normalised, or his aggression against Ukraine ever accepted as a fait accompli, he added.
The leaders agreed on the importance of doing more in the JEF format, bringing together partners inside and outside NATO and the EU, and agreed to meet soon.