Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Russia must “get out of Ukraine and end this barbaric war” as he confronted Russian officials at the G20 summit in Bali, according to Downing Street.
He made the comments in the first session on Tuesday, which was closed to media, as he criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s absence.
According to a transcript from No 10, Mr Sunak said: “It is notable that Putin didn’t feel able to join us here.
“Maybe if he had, we could get on with sorting things out.
“Because the single biggest difference that anyone could make is for Russia to get out of Ukraine and end this barbaric war.
“That would be transformative for Ukraine, and for the world.
“The UK rejects this aggression. We will back Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Mr Sunak also rebuked Russia by saying “countries should not invade their neighbours”.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met at a Bali cafe on Monday
“It is very simple – countries should not invade their neighbours, they should not attack civilian infrastructure and civilian populations and they should not threaten nuclear escalation. Surely these are things on which we can all agree,” a Downing Street transcript of his speech said.
The UK prime minister sat down with leaders of the world’s 19 biggest economies in Bali – the first meeting in the group’s 15-year history to be held in the shadow of a major European war instigated by one of its members.
Russia invaded Ukraine almost nine months ago, leaving the rest of the world struggling to deal with the fall-out, which has included rising food and energy prices.
But many countries have stood firm, supporting Ukraine with weapons and aid, while imposing various sanctions on Russia.
Mr Sunak will use the summit to push the world’s most powerful economies to do more to reduce their dependence on Russian exports, while supporting others to do the same.
Ahead of the meeting, he said: “Putin and his proxies will never have a legitimate seat at the table until they end their illegal war in Ukraine.
“At the G20, the Putin regime – which has stifled domestic dissent and fabricated a veneer of validity only through violence – will hear the chorus of global opposition to its actions.”
Last week the UK introduced legislation to stop countries using its maritime services to transport Russian oil unless it is purchased below a price cap – something No 10 described as a “hugely influential measure, given the UK provides around 60% of global maritime insurance”.
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At the summit, Mr Sunak is expected to reiterate the UK’s financial support for Ukraine, saying he committed £4.1bn in aid when he was chancellor.
This included £2.3bn in military aid, while Mr Sunak will promise to match this level of spending next year.
Meanwhile, to strengthen the UK’s defence, Mr Sunak has announced the next phase in the Type 26 frigate programme, with a £4.2bn contract awarded to BAE Systems to build five more ships for the Royal Navy, in addition to the three already under construction.
No 10 said the project will support 1,700 jobs at the BAE Systems sites in Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow over the next decade, with 2,300 jobs supported in the supply chain across the UK, although it was not specified how many of these jobs would be new.