Andy Burnham has promised Volodymyr Zelensky his “complete support” in the latest efforts to end the Ukraine war and said he would push for European representation in the US-brokered talks.
The Prime Minister co-chaired a group meeting on Ukraine with the country’s president at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Ireland on Thursday. Mr Burnham was using the Dublin gathering to urge leaders from some 50 nations to ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin to take peace talks seriously.
New sanctions package announced
He announced a fresh package of sanctions on Moscow, covering all 10 of Russia’s major oil producers. Downing Street earlier said the new sanctions included shadow fleet vessels illicitly transporting Russian oil, Russian oil company Slavneft, and Rosneft’s flagship Arctic oil and gas project LLC Vostok Oil.
At the Ukraine meeting, Mr Burnham said allies of Ukraine welcomed the resumption of peace talks but said Europe should play a part. It comes after representatives from the US, Russia and Ukraine participated in the two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi on ending the war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion, with Mr Zelensky stressing he wanted to see Europe involved, something Russia opposes.
Leaders gather in Dublin
Mr Burnham and Mr Zelensky sat side by side at the head of the table at the meeting attended by more than a dozen leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Ireland’s Micheál Martin and Canada’s Mark Carney, as well as the presidents of the EU Commission and Council and the chief of Nato.
The Prime Minister said at the start of the EPC Ukraine meeting while media were present: “I’m sure I speak for everybody in saying you have our complete support, both in terms of resisting the aggression that you continue to face, but also in the negotiation process that has started.” He added that allies will try to support Ukraine “in every way possible through that process”, and “we will obviously continue to press for European representation in that process”.
UK-EU relationship and defence talks
Mr Burnham will also use the EPC summit to “drive forward the UK’s ambition for a new relationship with the European Union”, No 10 said. Ahead of the EPC, he said: “Peace talks on Ukraine have progressed but now is not the time for complacency – we must continue to ramp up pressure on Russia to agree a full and immediate ceasefire.
“That is why the UK has announced a sweep of stinging new sanctions to turn the screws on Russia’s oil revenues and drive forward an end to the Kremlin’s needless war. We all now need to harness the momentum on negotiations and find a way forward for our security at home, and the security of our continent.”
The Labour leader arrived in Dublin on Thursday afternoon after flying in from Turkey, where he attended the UN Cop31 climate conference. He has recently reopened the debate about Britain’s future relationship with the bloc and is preparing for a UK-EU summit in Brussels next Friday. He was meeting some European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for the first time face-to-face in the margins of the EPC, as he warms up for the Brussels summit.
At the Dublin gathering, the Prime Minister is also expected to co-chair a defence and security roundtable with Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, in which leaders will discuss rising hybrid threats.
