Our actions have greater force when EU and UK speak with one voice

Homes reduced to rubble. Families torn apart. Innocent civilians killed or forced to flee, seeking sanctuary from hellish conditions.

Such scenes feel like they should belong in the history books. But from Kyiv to Gaza City, Beirut to El Fasher, they are the reality of today’s volatile world.

Faced with such suffering, we both feel a moral imperative to act. But we both also firmly believe that citizens of Europe cannot afford to treat these conflicts as somebody else’s problem.

With more conflicts ongoing today than at any time since World War II, the EU and the UK have a direct interest in greater stability. Security and justice are global.

They do not concern only those countries or regions immediately affected. Insecurity damages our prosperity — with conflicts worldwide knocking almost $1 trillion (€913bn) off the global economy last year.

Both the United Kingdom and the European Union are heavily engaged in responding to conflicts and crises. But we are always stronger when we work together to tackle these challenges.

This is all the more obvious for friends and neighbours, united by our shared values as well as our mutual interest in greater global stability.

Yet there is still more for us to do to strengthen UK-EU cooperation in defence and security to make it as deep or extensive as you would expect for two partners with so much in common.

At times, even with the privilege of our positions, we both can feel powerless to prevent so much of the suffering around the world. But we do have the power to determine how we work together. We are choosing to stand together in partnership.

We can’t allow our adversaries to drive a wedge between us

Today, on the occasion of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, with the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states, we will discuss how collectively we can support Ukraine and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.

This underlines our shared conviction that the darkening global outlook requires, more than ever, a strong Europe.

It further demonstrates the new UK government’s commitment to resetting relations with the rest of Europe. And it shows the importance the EU and the UK place on each other as valued partners.

But this meeting serves practical purposes as well.

In the short term, our message and our actions have greater force when we speak with one voice. Our adversaries seek to drive wedges between us, and between the West and other countries across the world. We must be clear precisely where we stand.

We stand firm in supporting Ukraine against Russia’s imperialist war of aggression. We seek a just peace consistent with the UN Charter. Putin’s meddling in Georgia and Moldova, in the Western Balkans, and on the streets of our own cities, is unacceptable.

ADVERTISEMENT

And we stand firm in calling for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon and in engaging diplomatically in support of lasting peace for the region which fully respects international law.

Israel has a right to self-defence and we strongly condemn Iranian attacks on Israel. A new spiral of violence is in nobody’s interests.

Now is the time for unhindered access for humanitarian aid and renewed focus on a two-state solution and a settlement in Lebanon based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

Let’s form a stronger bond that protects us into the future

From joint G7 work on sanctions which have deprived Putin’s war machine of over $400 billion (€365.3bn) since his full-scale invasion, to large-scale humanitarian assistance to civilians in Sudan, the UK and the EU have already been making a difference together.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the long term, today is an opportunity to start laying the foundations of a stronger bond that protects us into the future.

With the ambition for the EU and the UK to become closer security partners, we need to strengthen our cooperation across the full range of foreign and security challenges we face as a continent.

The Rt Hon David Lammy is UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and Josep Borrell is High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at [email protected] to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

ADVERTISEMENT