Rishi Sunak calls on world to 'ignore' Putin's call for ceasefire until Russian withdrawal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Latvia to attend a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The JEF includes Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom. According to 10 Downing Street, the JEF "brings together ten like-minded nations who share a commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as a long history of shared military operations". Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended the JEF meeting virtually. 

At the meeting, Rishi Sunak said that if Russia calls for a ceasefire, its call should be ignored, until Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine. Sunak suggested that the focus should be on "degrading Russia's capability to regroup and resupply'', as per a report from Sky news. He said that the JEF should provide more military aid to Ukraine, especially air defence systems and artillery. Air defence systems are crucial for Ukraine to defend its critical infrastructure from Russian strikes. Sunak believes that a ceasefire will be used by Russia to regroup and recuperate.

What is the JEF?

Sunak's comments come on the heels of the UK government's decision to provide Ukraine with a £250 million military aid. "We must be clear that any unilateral call for a ceasefire by Russia is completely meaningless in the current context," Sunak said. Zelenskyy, in his virtual address, asked for more weapons. It is likely that other nations in the JEF will follow the UK's lead. The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a military organisation that was established by the United Kingdom to improve the country's ability to respond to global crises and to project power overseas. It is a flexible agile force that is designed to be rapidly deployable and able to operate across a range of environments, including land, sea, air, and cyberspace.

The JEF was established in 2014 as part of the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review, which was a review of the country's national security and defense capabilities. It brings together personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force, as well as other government agencies and partners, to form a flexible and adaptable force that can respond to a wide range of situations. The JEF is intended to be a key part of the UK's crisis response capabilities, and it is designed to be able to respond quickly to emerging threats and crises around the world. It is also intended to enhance the UK's ability to work with international partners and allies in responding to global challenges.