UK Foreign Secretary Backs Ukraine Energy Ceasefire at Warsaw Forum
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband backs an energy ceasefire for Ukraine at the Warsaw Security Forum, citing Russian strikes and hybrid threats to Europe.
The story in focus
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told European partners at the Warsaw Security Forum that the UK backs an energy ceasefire in Ukraine, citing Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and wider hybrid attacks across Europe.
- Miliband called for an end to attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and backed an energy ceasefire.
- The UK cited 200 Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sites and 1,450 bombs and 1,600 drones in a week.
- The UK committed more than £300 billion in defence spending over the next four years.
Call for an energy ceasefire
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband backed President Zelenskyy's support for an energy ceasefire, calling for an end to attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as the country faces another winter of blackouts.
The UK said Russia mounted 200 attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the past week, alongside 1,450 bombs and 1,600 drones fired at Ukraine in the same period. The Foreign Secretary framed the strikes as part of a wider pattern of Russian aggression.
Hybrid threats and European unity
Miliband was expected to tell partners that Russian hybrid actions, including cyber-attacks and sabotage targeting critical infrastructure, pose an immediate threat to UK security and prosperity. He called on European allies to mobilise economic, industrial and political strength.
The UK pointed to its new National Centre for Information Defence and a partnership with Germany on hybrid threats. It said these are matched by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with more than £300 billion over the next four years.
In Poland, Miliband met Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and discussed the UK-Poland Northolt Treaty signed earlier this year, which the UK said deepens cooperation on defence, security and economic resilience.
What did the UK Foreign Secretary call for at the Warsaw Security Forum?
He backed an energy ceasefire in Ukraine and called for an end to attacks on its energy infrastructure, while urging European partners to act together against Russian hybrid threats.
Sources & further reading
- Back Zelenskyy and Ukraine with an energy ceasefire, Foreign Secretary tells European partners ↗gov.uk
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