Ukraine war: PM to hold talks with world leaders on further sanctions

Boris Johnson is set to hold talks with Canadian and Dutch prime ministers in London as western powers prepare to agree further sanctions on Russia.

It comes as the UK allocates a further £74million to Ukraine’s government to ease financial pressures.

The prime minister has laid out a six-point plan to keep up the pressure on President Vladimir Putin after invading Ukraine.

A law to combat money laundering by oligarchs close to Mr Putin is also set to be passed in parliament.

Mr Johnson receives Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

He is expected to urge international leaders to take further action to remove Russia from the Swift bank payments system and encourage them to support his proposals to combat Russian aggression.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there were active talks between the allies to ban imports of Russian oil.

The UK government has announced asset freezes and travel bans on a number of oligarchs in recent days.

But it has been accused of being slow to sanction wealthy oligarchs and others with ties to Mr Putin.

MPs are expected to vote on all phases of the white-collar crime bill in a single session on Monday.

The bill will create a new register, meaning foreign owners of property in the UK will have to declare and verify their identity to Companies House. The aim is to prevent foreign criminals and oligarchs from using agents to set up businesses or buy property for them in the UK.

In addition, new measures will make it easier for UK authorities to sanction individuals, give them more time to conduct investigations and protect them from prohibitive legal costs.

Secretary of State Liz Truss said the bill will “give us a chance to impose even more crippling sanctions on Putin and his regime.”

Labor said it would support the legislation but would like the proposed timeframe for registering property owners to be reduced from six months to 28 days.

And Conservative MP David Davis has introduced an amendment to the bill that would prevent anyone the government is considering sanctioning from selling or relocating assets out of the UK.

The additional financial assistance to Ukraine will be provided by the UK through the World Bank and could be used to support public sector salaries, maintain key government functions, or support social safety nets and pensions. It comes on top of the £220million already pledged.

A second temporary ceasefire was broken in Ukraine over the weekend, intended to allow civilians to leave their homes in two cities. Photos show residents involved in a Russian attack.

More than 1.5 million people have fled the country, according to the UN refugee agency.