Foreign Secretary to discuss strengthening NATO’s long-term resilience at Foreign Ministers meeting 

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will discuss how the Alliance will strengthen its support for Ukraine and enhance its long-term resilience at NATO’s Foreign Ministers meeting, which takes place in Bucharest, Romania this week (Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 November). 

Ukraine will be top of the agenda when the Alliance meets, with NATO’s Foreign Ministers set to hold discussions on how best to continue supporting Ukraine as the war enters winter.  

The Alliance will also discuss its long-term objectives for enhancing its defences. Finland and Sweden will join their first Foreign Ministerial meeting as NATO invitees, ahead of their accession to the Alliance. Their membership will make Europe safer and grow NATO to 32 countries. 

The UK and the Alliance will also be focused on solidifying their support to partner countries where Russia is exerting its destabilising influence. Moldova is joining the meeting at Foreign Minister level for the first time in history. The Foreign Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia will also be present to discuss their ongoing cooperation with NATO.  

The meeting will build on discussions at NATO’s Madrid summit earlier in the year, where allies agreed that China is a challenge that requires NATO to build a global perspective. Today’s meeting in Bucharest will look to operationalise the decisions taken by leaders in Madrid and look ahead to next year's Vilnius Summit. 

While in Bucharest, the Foreign Secretary will meet a range of partners, including both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of NATO host Romania. 

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:  

“With Russia’s war disrupting peace in Europe it’s vital that NATO and its Allies look closely at how we shore up our defences to handle the challenges we face today.  

“We are united in the long-term objective of supporting Ukraine and further strengthening NATO as a defensive alliance.

“The UK and its Allies will continue to show collective strength in dealing with the complex issues the world faces today, as we are doing in Bucharest today.” 

Following his visit to NATO, the Foreign Secretary will be in Lodz, Poland for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Ministerial Council (OSCE) on Thursday 1 December. The UK is steadfast in its support for the OSCE and its principles, and its efforts to continue an OSCE presence in Ukraine in the face of Russian pressure.  

Russia, which as a participating State of the OSCE has freely signed up to its body of commitments, continues to frustrate its work by weaponising the consensus principle. Host Poland has restricted Russia from attending due to its illegal invasion of Ukraine.  

The Foreign Secretary will condemn Russia’s actions and reaffirm that the UK will continue to take action to further isolate Russia for its actions destabilising Europe.  

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

• The UK is Europe’s leading NATO Ally, with the largest defence budget in Europe.  
• The UK has committed £2.3bn in military assistance to Ukraine this year and committed to match or exceed this next year.    
• We are committed to training 10,000 troops in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, working with Allies and partners.  The UK, along with US and Poland, has led the coordination of international military assistance.    
• The UK is making a significant contribution to NATO enhanced vigilance activity and has committed Typhoons to both the southern and northern routes across Poland and Romania. The UK has committed Voyagers for Air-to-Air Refuelling to support this. 
• The UK has contributed £10m to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, which will provide urgent non-lethal assistance in the short term and support Ukraine’s reconstruction and its transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO standards in the long-term.    
• NATO’s meeting comes after the Foreign Secretary met members of the Ukrainian Government, including President Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Kuleba during a visit to Kyiv last week. While there, the Foreign Secretary signalled the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine, including through an additional £3m of support to rebuild vital local infrastructure.  
• The Foreign Secretary also announced that the UK would be providing further support to Ukraine through the donation of 35 emergency vehicles, including 24 ambulances and 6 armoured vehicles. 
• The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organisation with 57 members.   
• The OSCE is a forum set up by countries, including Russia, to strengthen dialogue and security for all nations. It was designed to manage Cold War tensions and help prevent war in Europe.  
• The West and the Soviet Union designed the organisation together, and signed up freely to its core principles set out in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. These include: respect for each other’s sovereign equality, borders, territorial integrity, the right to choose their own security arrangements; and the peaceful settlement of disputes
• Despite Russia’s contempt for its principles and commitments, the OSCE remains the only forum for dialogue where everyone with an interest in European security can sit with an equal voice. The OSCE is based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-use of force. These are the foundations of peace in Europe.