Speaking ahead of the G20 summit today, the Prime
Minister said:
“Today, Ukraine's friends and partners will meet in the margins
of the G20 summit to discuss how we can secure a full ceasefire
and create the space for meaningful peace negotiations. We will
discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of
President Trump's push for peace, look at how we can strengthen
this plan for the next phase of negotiations.
“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not
calling for a ceasefire, and one country that is deploying a
barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder
innocent civilians.
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but
their actions never live up to their words. This week, we have
seen almost 1000 Russian drones and 54 precision guided missiles
sent into Ukraine, maiming innocent people, including children
and the elderly going about their everyday lives.
“No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people. Not a day has
passed in this war where Ukraine hasn't called for Russia to end
its illegal invasion, roll back its tanks and lay down its
guns.
“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has
stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must
all work together, with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just
and lasting peace once and for all. We will continue to
coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that.
“However, we cannot simply wait for peace, we must strain every
sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin's finance flows by
ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won't be easy, but it's
the right thing to do. We must support Ukraine to repair and
restore its energy supplies, callously destroyed by endless
Russian attacks that have plunged thousands into the cold and
darkness.
“And we must intensify work to pursue the proposal for
reparations loans secured against Russian sovereign assets,
ensuring Ukraine has the means to defend itself for years to
come.
“We must now all fight hard for peace.”
