Prime Minister Liz Truss and President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, have described Vladimir Putin’s call for partial mobilisation as a “statement of weakness”.
The pair released a joint statement after meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “They strongly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and agreed that Putin’s recent calls to mobilise parts of the population were a sign that Russia’s invasion is failing. It is a statement of weakness.”
Earlier today, the Russian president announced a partial military mobilisation, with 300,000 reservists set to be called up as the Kremlin attempts to regain ground in the face of a counter-attack by Ukraine’s forces.
The spokesperson added that Ms Truss and Ms Von der Leyen “underscored their joint commitment to sustaining support for Ukraine in its struggle as long as it takes”.
The pair also discussed UK-EU relations including energy, food security, and the Northern Ireland Protocol.