UKRAINE’S fight against Putin’s illegal invasion is vital for all of Europe.
The Ukrainian people are fighting bravely for their freedom, their independence and their rights.
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But American security is on the line there, as well as British and European security.
That is why we and European allies have been providers of military aid to Ukraine.
And we recognise the indispensable role of the US in that.
It is also why President Trump’s recent decision to make more weapons available for Ukraine’s brave resistance is very welcome.
And we share the President’s frustration with Putin’s continual delaying tactics and maximalist demands.
It is clear that Putin is not negotiating in good faith.
Tighten screws
The pressure must continue to grow on Putin, to make clear that this awful war, and his wanton campaign of aggression, must come to an end.
As the UK and US get down to hard talks ahead of next week’s summit, Europe must ramp up the pressure, too.
We, as HM Opposition, will not write the Government a blank cheque.
But we stand squarely with them in defending our national interest and that means resisting Putin’s illegal war.
Russia has so far failed to achieve its war objectives.
It has suffered enormous casualties and, in desperation, Putin has had to turn to Iran for weapons and North Korea for troops.
Three years on, and despite what Russia claims, the cost to its economy has been enormous and is unsustainable.
I am proud the Conservative government, working with allies, helped to drive forward the largest and most severe set of sanctions Russia has ever seen to cripple Putin’s war machine.
Through the tough and wide-ranging sanctions delivered by the international community, Putin has been denied $400billion of funds since February 2022 — money that could otherwise have been spent on this illegal war.
But we cannot stop here. The screws must continue to tighten.
Pulling in the same direction
The US is right that we need all the world’s major economies to be pulling in the same direction.
President Trump’s tariffs on India in part show that there can be no place for Russian oil.
Europe must adopt the same approach.
There can be no place for Russian oil on our continent. There must be no safe harbour for Russian ships.
There must be no let-up in our collective fight against Russia in every corner of the continent.
That is why Britain must continue to maintain a leadership position in this fight.
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We must take the lead in mobilising sanctioned Russian sovereign assets to help Ukraine.
We must ensure our Government is using the full weight of the Whitehall legal machine to find more creative mechanisms through which those assets can be legally leveraged to support Ukraine’s military efforts.
And we must encourage all our European partners to do exactly the same.
It is clear that by leveraging our full economic might, and crippling Russia’s, we can continue to support Ukraine, and force Putin to the table.
The entire Euro-Atlantic alliance must be unflinching in the face of Putin’s aggression.
From sanctions, to Operation Interflex and the 100-year Partnership, Britain’s support for Ukraine has been unwavering and must continue to be so.
Shoulder to shoulder
So we must stand up for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and ensure that at no stage is Putin’s aggression rewarded.
Because the lesson of the past 20 years is crystal clear: Putin only comes back for more.
We must stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends as they fight not just an imperialist Russian, but a whole axis of authoritarian states seeking to sow destruction on our own continent.
Ukraine is in a battle for its own sovereignty as well as the principles that underpin our whole way of life — democracy, liberty and the rule of law.
Britain has a history of standing up to threatening authoritarianism.
The invasion of Ukraine demands that we do so again.
We must keep rising to the challenge.
Putin has to know that if he tests the Euro-Atlantic alliance, he will fail.
