Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary: Bad peace deal with Russia will cause damage far beyond Ukraine
The Foreign and Defence Secretaries have written a joint Op-Ed in the Daily Telegraph on how to reach a strong and durable peace in Ukraine.
For 20 years, Vladimir Putin has been repeating the mistakes of Russia’s past: by seeking to recreate the Russian empire and suffocate the countries around its borders.
Too often in the past, the West has let him. We did too little in 2008, when he invaded Georgia, and in 2014, when he first went into Ukraine.
When he launched his full-scale attack almost three years ago, he thought it would be more of the same. Putin believed that he would win his war in three days. Yet the Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage and the support of their friends.
Putin only responds to strength. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have both spoken of their desire to achieve “peace through strength”. And the support we give to Ukraine provides the strength to achieve that peace. Ukraine, Britain, Europe and the US all agree.
In Brussels this week, at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group – which we as the UK chaired for the first time – Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, confirmed that, like us, the US wants to see a sovereign, prosperous Ukraine.
Like us, the US wants a lasting peace, after almost three years of war.
Like us, the US recognises the failure of Minsk agreements, deals made from a position of division and weakness.
At the Munich Security Conference this weekend, our message to our allies is the need for us all to continue to unite and show strength.
The Prime Minister has signed a 100-year partnership with Ukraine – a testament to our long-term commitment and confidence in the country’s future. Including the new loans we are giving, which will be repaid using the windfall profits from frozen Russian assets, our support extends to £15 billion.
And we are going farther still: this week, we announced an additional £150 million military package, part of the record £4.5 billion in support we are providing this coming year.
A year on from the death of Alexei Navalny, we are also putting new sanctions on Putin’s inner circle, adding to 2,000 sanctions Britain has already put on Russia.
From opposition and in government, we have been clear that Europe and the UK must do more together to share the burden of our continent’s security.
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We were clear we need our friends in Europe to invest more in defence and seize the opportunities of closer UK-EU cooperation.
This has already begun. Europe is united on the need to step up. We are – and we will.
Europe has now committed almost two thirds of all aid to Ukraine, and well over half the military aid. In 2021, the UK and US were two of only six allies meeting Nato’s 2 per cent defence spending target. That number is now 23.
And we all need to turn up the pressure on Russia. Putin’s economy is struggling. Last year, the Kremlin spent more on military aid than social welfare for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Sanctions on energy are a particular priority: the UK has sanctioned more than 100 ships, as well as Gazprom Neft and PJSC Surgutneftegas, two of Russia’s big four oil companies.
While Russia is weakened, it remains undeniably dangerous. Just this weekend, our Royal Navy will track Russian warships passing close to British waters. These ships are retreating from Syria after Putin abandoned his ally Bashar al-Assad, yet they remain armed and full of ammunition. We will be watching their every move.
Ultimately, we need a strong peace. A durable peace. A peace that allows Ukrainians a secure future and deters any future Russian aggression. That is why there must be no talks about Ukraine without Ukraine, and we must give Mr Zelensky the strongest possible hand in those talks.
A bad peace would not only harm our security, but our economies, too: Putin’s 2022 invasion took 1.5 per cent off global GDP and added 3 per cent to European inflation. China, Iran and North Korea are all watching.
A durable peace must be based on new security arrangements: Europe doubling down to do more on our own continent’s security; a continuing, long-term US commitment to its allies through Nato; and British support to the US and allies in the Indo-Pacific – such as through the Aukus security partnership. That is the way to make us all stronger.
On Feb 24, we will mark a grim milestone – three years since Putin’s full-scale invasion. Yet despite all the challenges, Ukrainians are showing astonishing tenacity. Now is the time to turn up the pressure on the Kremlin. With strength and unity, we will prevail.