Lord Cameron says he wants Ukraine’s allies to “do more” to help defeat Russia and that together they “outmatch” President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Speaking to Sky News at a security conference in Munich, the foreign secretary said Ukraine’s partners outmatched Russia “25 to one” and that they’ve “got to make that difference count”.
Lord Cameron said: “What I’m clear about is that Britain is absolutely in the lead of providing support [to Ukraine]. The first to provide so many different weapons systems and, of course, first to give the new security guarantees to Ukraine. Now others are following that.
“But most of all… look at what Ukraine’s allies have. If you add up our economies, we outmatch Russia 25 to one. We’ve got the ability to give that diplomatic, military, economic, moral support. We’ve just got to make that difference count.”
The former prime minister again urged the US to approve more aid funding for Ukraine, having already pushed for Congress to go ahead with a proposed $61bn (£49bn) funding package.
The funding package bill has passed through the Senate but faces a deeply uncertain future in the House of Representatives, where hardline Republicans oppose the legislation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, criticised the bill for lacking conservative provisions to stem a record flow of migrants across the US-Mexico border.
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Speaking about aid to Ukraine, Lord Cameron said. “Are we doing enough at the moment? No, I want us to do more.
“I know that Britain is doing what it can. The European Union has voted through its package to give massive support to Ukraine. We now need the US Congress to do the same.”
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“If all those three things line up, I think that will make a real difference and demonstrate to Putin he can’t wait us out. He’s not going to win by testing our patience.”
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“Of course, things that happen in Ukraine, that’s for the Ukraine armed forces to decide,” Lord Cameron added.
“But I would point you towards the Black Sea, where yet again, another Russian ship has been sunk by incredibly brave Ukrainian action.
“And on the Black Sea, the Russian fleet has been pushed right back across the Black Sea. Ukraine is exporting again. Its economy is growing again. And that is incredibly important news.”
He called Navalny an “incredibly brave man” and added: “His life revealed so much about the truth of Putin’s ghastly regime, and his death has revealed that all over again.
“There should be consequences when appalling human rights outrages like this take place. What we do is, we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions that we can take.
“We don’t announce them in advance, so I can’t say any more than that – but that’s what we’ll be looking at,” Lord Cameron added.
“Of course, we’ve already summoned the ambassador and we’ve made clear our views about this dreadful event and the way this person was treated.”
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0:40
Republican congresswoman says Lord Cameron ‘can kiss my a**’ after his Congress plea
He added he would be having further discussions with other foreign ministers about Navalny’s death during the security conference and added: “We’ll be taking action, and I’ll be urging others to do the same.”
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has offered a “wholehearted and unequivocal” apology to the victims of the infected blood scandal, saying it was a “day of shame for the British state”.
Mr Sunak said the findings of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s final reportshould “shake our nation to its core”, as he promised to pay “comprehensive compensation to those infected and those affected”, adding: “Whatever it costs to deliver this scheme, we will pay it.”
The report from the inquiry’s chair Sir Brian Langstaff blamed “successive governments, the NHS, and blood services” for failures that led to 30,000 people being “knowingly” infected with either HIV or Hepatitis C through blood products. Around 3,000 people have now died.
The prime minister said for any government apology to be “meaningful”, it had to be “accompanied by action”.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Sunak called it a “calamity”, saying the report showed a “decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life”, as he condemned the actions of the NHS, civil service and ministers – “institutions in which we place our trust failed in the most harrowing and devastating way”.
The prime minister said they “failed this country”, adding: “Time and again, people in positions of power and trust had the chance to stop the transmission of those infections. Time and again, they failed to do so.
“I want to make a whole-hearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice.”
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Pointing to key findings in the report – from the destruction of documents through to failures over screening – Mr Sunak said there had been “layer upon layer of hurt endured across decades”.
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He also apologised for the “institutional refusal to face up to these failings and worse, to deny and even attempt to cover them up”, adding: “This is an apology from the state to every single person impacted by this scandal.
“It did not have to be this way. It should never have been this way. And on behalf of this and every government stretching back to the 1970s, I am truly sorry.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also apologised for his party’s part in the scandal, telling the Commons: “I want to acknowledge to every single person who has suffered that in addition to all of the other failings, politics itself failed you.
“That failure applies to all parties, including my own. There is only one word, sorry.”
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Infected blood victims ‘betrayed’ by NHS
In his report, released earlier on Monday, Sir Brian issued 12 recommendations – including an immediate compensation scheme and ensuring anyone who received a blood transfusion before 1996 was urgently tested for Hepatitis C.
He also called for compensation – something Mr Sunak said would come and would be outlined in the Commons on Tuesday.
But speaking to Sky News’ Sarah-Jane Mee, he warned the “disaster” of the scandal still wasn’t over, saying: “More than 3,000 have died, and deaths keep on happening week after week.
“I’d like people to take away the fact that this is not just something which happened. It is happening.”
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Inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff spoke to Sky’s Sarah-Jane Mee.
Sir Brian said what had happened to the victims was “no accident”, adding: “People put their trust in the doctors and the government to keep them safe. That trust was betrayed.
“And then the government compounded the agony by repeatedly saying that no wrong had been done.”
But he hoped the report would ensure “these mistakes are not repeated”.
He told Sky News: “We don’t want another 30,000 people to go into hospital and come out with infections which were avoidable, which are life-shattering, which were no accident.
“And we don’t want the government to end up being defensive about them – but instead to be candid [and] forthcoming in the ways which I’ve just suggested.”