David Cameron warns UN allies against 'fatigue' and 'compromise' over Ukraine war

The Foreign Secretary says the world must ‘recognise the cost of giving up’ in a speech on the eve of the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion
David Cameron at the UN general assembly in New York
AP
Nina Lloyd23 February 2024
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Lord David Cameron warned the United Nations against “fatigue” and “compromise” over Russia’s war in Ukraine as he urged allies to keep up support for Kyiv.

The UK Foreign Secretary said the world must “recognise the cost of giving up” in a speech in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.

European countries are struggling to find enough stock to send to Kyiv, and US help worth 60 billion dollars (£47 billon) is stalled over political differences in Washington.

(Putin) is not a man seeking compromise. Rather, this is a neo-imperialist bully who believes that might is right

Lord Cameron

Speaking at the UN general assembly on Friday, Lord Cameron said: “Two years on, I recognise some want a rethink. There is a sense of fatigue. There are other problems.

“A compromise might seem attractive. But this is wrong. We must recognise the cost of giving up.

“Putin has said there will be no peace until Russia’s goals have been achieved. And in his latest interview, he studiously avoided confirming he was satisfied with the land seized from Ukraine at present.”

The Foreign Secretary added: “This is not a man seeking compromise. Rather, this is a neo-imperialist bully who believes that might is right.”

Lord Cameron also renewed his appeal to US politicians to pass a multi-billion-dollar aid package including support for Ukraine, telling reporters during his visit: “This is fundamentally about US security too.”

Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War.

Kyiv has kept up strikes from behind the front line in recent weeks but moved to a defensive posture amid critical shortages on the battlefield.

Lord Cameron, who was UK prime minister during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, started his speech by saying “the lesson of this history is clear: if we do not stand up to Putin, he will be back for more.”

“Putin tries to claim that Russia is fighting not against Ukraine, but against the whole of the west,” he told the assembly.

“He claims we are somehow out to dismember Russia. That is the central lie of this war.”

Victory for the Moscow leader would not end with Ukraine, Lord Cameron said.

“Putin could easily apply his distortions of history elsewhere, such as Moldova or the Baltic States,” he told allies.

“And others will be emboldened to turn to fighting when it suits them. No country with a large, aggressive neighbour would be safe.”

It comes after the Foreign Secretary called earlier this month for US lawmakers to pass a bill including support for Ukraine, likening any refusal to do so with appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s.

The intervention drew the ire of right-wing congresswoman and Donald Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told him to “kiss my ass” and “worry about his own country”.

The bill has passed through the Senate but faces a deeply uncertain future in the House of Representatives, where hard-line Republicans aligned with Republican presidential front-runner Mr Trump oppose the legislation.

Kyiv officials have pleaded with western partners to accelerate delivery of military aid so its forces can hold out against an emboldened Moscow.

Ukrainian forces withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka at the weekend, where they had battled a fierce Russian assault for four months despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in