LONDON, March 21. /TASS/. The UK, US, France, Germany and Italy plan to ramp up sanctions pressure on Russia and will continue to provide military, economic and diplomatic support to Ukraine, the office of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday following his talks with the leaders of these countries.
"The leaders affirmed their ongoing commitment to support Ukraine militarily, diplomatically and economically, equipping the democratically-elected government in Kyiv with the tools it needs to defend itself," Johnson's office said in a statement.
The leaders of the five countries "also resolved to increase the pressure on Russia to halt its unprovoked invasion, including by maintaining wide-ranging and coordinated sanctions."
They discussed their coordinated response to the escalating crisis in Ukraine, according to the statement. Johnson said he planned to discuss with his colleagues this week a possibility to boost military support to Kiev so Ukraine has more capabilities to defend itself.
On February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.