UK stands with Ukraine as Russia intensifies attacks: UK statement to the OSCE
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Military Advisor, Lt Col Joby Rimmer welcomes progress at Geneva talks between the US and Ukraine, reaffirming support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and a just peace. Ignoring a diplomatic solution, Russia escalates attacks, underscoring its disregard for negotiations. UK aid will continue.

We welcome the statements from the United States and Ukraine following their productive talks in Geneva. Both sides have made meaningful progress and reaffirmed that any agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace. The UK, alongside European partners, is fully engaged in this process and will continue working with international allies to build momentum for peace.

While diplomatic efforts were underway in Geneva, Russia launched massive waves of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. On 23 November, as negotiators met to refine a peace framework, Russian forces struck Kharkiv, killing four civilians and injuring at least 17 others. Then, on 25 November, just hours after further talks had concluded, Russia unleashed one of the largest aerial attacks in weeks on Kyiv, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen. Residential buildings burned, and energy facilities were hit, knocking out water, electricity, and heat in parts of the capital. Strikes also hit Odesa, damaging port and energy infrastructure and injuring civilians, including two children.

These attacks question Russia’s interest in ending the war or pursuing peace. The Kremlin continues to escalate violence and destruction as winter approaches. This is not the behaviour of a country seeking a negotiated settlement, it is an attempt to break Ukraine’s resilience and destabilise Europe. Russia’s staggering casualty numbers underscore a systemic prioritisation of military aggression over diplomacy. Despite suffering over 1.1 million casualties since 2022, including more than 250,000 soldiers killed or missing, and 357,000 in 2025 alone, Russia continues its offensive rather than pursuing meaningful negotiations. This persistence reveals a leadership willing to absorb catastrophic human losses to sustain a war that has failed to achieve its objectives. Such disregard for life signals a deep-rooted reliance on force as a primary tool of statecraft, illustrating that violence, not compromise, remains central to Russia’s approach.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has consistently shown it is the party of peace, offering ceasefires, agreeing to meet President Putin (an offer he has so far avoided) and engaging constructively in negotiations. Russia, by contrast, continues to escalate violence and spread disinformation.

The UK’s position is also clear: We will continue our support for Ukraine for as long as it takes, providing the military equipment they need to defend themselves and sustaining economic pressure on Putin to bear down on revenues funding the war. To date, the UK has committed £21.8 billion in support to Ukraine, including £13 billion in military assistance, £5.3 billion in non-military aid, and £3.5 billion in export finance for reconstruction and defence projects. In 2025 alone, UK military support will total £4.5 billion, including drones, artillery ammunition, air defence systems, and training for Ukrainian forces. We have also provided £357 million in humanitarian aid since the invasion, helping millions of Ukrainians survive through winter and rebuild their lives.

As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has rightly said, we need a durable peace, not another Minsk agreement. That means ironclad security arrangements from the outset to ensure Russia can never invade again. The ball is in Russia’s court. Until President Putin demonstrates a genuine commitment to peace, the UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and our allies to defend freedom and security in Europe. Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.