Today, I hosted a call with counterparts from across Europe, as well as the NATO Secretary General and the leaders of the EU Commission, EU Council, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to discuss our support for Ukraine.
We underlined our unwavering commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, both now and long into the future.
We welcomed the efforts of President Trump, President Zelenskyy and their negotiating teams to secure the remarkable breakthrough on the peace agreement in Jeddah this week, and President Zelenskyy’s commitment to the US proposal for an immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, subject to agreement by Russia.
We agreed that now the ball was in Russia’s court, and President Putin must prove he is serious about peace and sign up to a ceasefire on equal terms. The Kremlin’s dithering and delay over President Trump’s ceasefire proposal, and Russia’s continued barbaric attacks on Ukraine, run entirely counter to President Putin’s stated desire for peace.
We reaffirmed our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security, and agreed that Ukraine must be able to defend itself and deter future Russian aggression.
Robust and credible security arrangements are the best way to ensure that any deal ends in a lasting peace. We agreed military planners would convene again in the UK this week to progress practical plans for how our militaries can support Ukraine’s future security. We will build up Ukraine’s own defences and armed forces, and be ready to deploy as a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ in the event of a peace deal, to help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea, and in the sky.
In the event of a ceasefire, we emphasised the need for strong monitoring arrangements, to ensure that any violations of a deal are identified and called out.
We agreed that in the case that President Putin refused to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, we would need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine, weaken Russia’s war machine, and ratchet up pressure on President Putin to convince him to come to the negotiating table. To deliver this, we will accelerate our military support, tighten our sanctions on Russia’s revenues, and continue to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has done to Ukraine.
We agreed to continue these discussions as a group in the coming days to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
