We met in London on 12 May to discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security.
On Ukraine, we reiterated our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, our sympathy for the victims of recent attacks by Russia, and our full support for Ukraine’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
We welcomed US-led peace efforts and the prospect of further talks this week. So far, Russia has not shown any serious intent to make progress. It must do so without delay. We joined Ukraine in calling for an immediate, full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
Any peace will only last if it is based on international law including the UN Charter and Ukraine is able to deter and defend against any future Russian attack.
We discussed how we would further step up European efforts to support Ukraine in its ongoing defence against Russia’s war of aggression. Ukraine should be confident in its ability to continue to resist successfully Russian aggression with our support.
Strong Ukrainian armed forces will be vital. We agreed to work with Ukraine on initiatives to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces, restock munitions and equipment, and further enhance industrial capacity.
We are committed to robust security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes exploring the creation of a coalition of air, land and maritime reassurance forces that could help create confidence in any future peace and support the regeneration of Ukraine’s armed forces. And we will work on new reconstruction and recovery commitments, including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on 10-11 July, to ensure that Ukraine’s future security is underpinned by a vibrant economy.
We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia’s ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy. We will keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilised until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage caused.
On Euro-Atlantic security, we reaffirmed that NATO is the bedrock of our security and prosperity. The Alliance has secured peace for over 75 years. A strong, united NATO, based on a strong transatlantic bond, an ironclad commitment to defend each other, and fair burden-sharing, is essential to maintain this.
European countries must play a still greater role in assuring our own security. We will further strengthen NATO and the contribution of European Allies by stepping up security and defence expenditure to meet the requirement to deter and defend across all domains in the Euro-Atlantic area.
We will use all feasible levers to strengthen our collective defence capability and production and reinforce Europe’s technological and industrial base. To that end, we will build on work in NATO, the EU and likeminded groups to achieve these goals.
An enhanced security and defence relationship between the UK and EU is key to improving the lives of our people and making our continent more safe and secure, as will enhanced cooperation between NATO and the EU on the basis of the three Joint Declarations, and greater co-operation with Ukraine.
