British Prime Minister Liz Truss said allies must remain firm on Ukraine and ignore attempts to intimidate Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters and Agerpres reported on Sunday.

Liz Truss, who met US President Joe Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron on her first foreign trip as prime minister, urged like-minded democracies to stand firm against “autocratic regimes”.

This week, Putin ordered a partial mobilization of troops and considered the possibility of a nuclear conflict. Truss argues that Putin is escalating the war in Ukraine because he is not winning, and that the Kremlin leader made a strategic mistake.

“I think he didn’t anticipate a strong response from the free world,” Truss said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday.

“We should not listen to his attempts at intimidation and his false threats. Instead, we need to impose sanctions against Russia and continue to support Ukrainians,” she added.

Liz Truss: “I am determined to make the special relationship between the UK and the US even more special in the coming years”

Liz Truss, who became prime minister this month, has taken a tough stance on Russia and China.

But it is also at loggerheads with some traditional allies, particularly in Europe, over post-Brexit arrangements.

Truss said she still wanted to reach a negotiated solution to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, that she and President Joe Biden agreed that peace in the province needed to be maintained, and that she still believed in the “special relationship” between Britain and the US.

“I believe our relationship is special and even more important at a time when we are facing threats from Russia and an increasingly assertive stance from China,” Truss said.

“I am determined to make this special relationship even more special in the coming years,” she added.

Liz Truss also said she had a “very good meeting” with French President Emmanuel Macron in New York. “I look forward to working with him in the future,” she said.

The head of the British government also said that the allies should cooperate both on the position on Russia and on China.

Asked if Britain would defend Taiwan with military force if China invaded it, as the US has announced, Truss said: “We are committed to working with our allies to ensure Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.”

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