INTERNATIONAL: Countries opposed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine must double down on their support for Kyiv, including the supply of heavy weapons, tanks and airplanes, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Wednesday 27th April.

“The biggest assault on a European state since World War Two has so far killed thousands and caused widespread destruction across Ukraine.

So far Britain, European Union states, the United States and other allies have supplied weaponry to help Ukrainian forces fight the Russian army, but they have stopped short of engaging in direct conflict with Moscow.

While Ukraine has urged the West to provide more support, Russia accuses NATO of creating a serious risk of nuclear war by arming Ukraine in a proxy battle.

Moscow says it launched a "special military operation" on Feb. 24 because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia, and to protect Russian-speaking people there. Kyiv and its allies say these are pretexts for an unprovoked land grab.

Truss outlined a new approach in which countries should spend more on defense, and where NATO takes a more global outlook while economic dependency on aggressor nations to be reduced.

Since the Russian invasion force was driven back at the outskirts of Kyiv last month, Moscow has refocused its operation on eastern Ukraine, starting a new offensive from several directions to fully capture two provinces known as the Donbas.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian forces had used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a pro-Ukraine rally in the southern city of Kherson, the first big urban center seized by Moscow after the Feb. 24 invasion.

Truss also warned China that failure to play by global rules would cut short its rise as a superpower, and said the West should ensure that Taiwan can defend itself.

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY LIZ TRUSS, SAID:

"We can't be complacent – the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance. But let’s be clear – if Putin succeeds there will be untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe. We would never feel safe again. So we must be prepared for the long haul. We’ve got to double down on our support for Ukraine. And we must follow through on the unity that we've shown in the crisis. We must reboot, recast and remodel our approach. My vision is a world where free nations are assertive and in the ascendant. Where freedom and democracy are strengthened through a network of economic and security partnerships. Where aggressors are contained and forced to take a better path. This is the long term prize: a new era of peace, security and prosperity."

^{PHOTO: BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER LIZ TRUSS SAYS UKRAINE'S ALLIES MUST DO MORE TO HELP THE COUNTRY - INCLUDING MILITARILY}