Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 May 2026.

The UK thanks Ambassador McGurk for his concise and focused report presentation, and underlines support for the Mission’s work on democratic processes and with non-majority communities.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

I would like to warmly welcome Ambassador McGurk – dear Gerard – back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for your concise and focused report and presentation this morning. We commend the OSCE Mission in Kosovo’s sustained and professional work during such a demanding reporting period.

Mr Chair, the Mission’s report rightly highlights the strain placed on Kosovo’s institutions by repeated electoral cycles and prolonged political uncertainty. We continue to urge Kosovo’s political parties to work together constructively, in the interests of all communities, to provide institutional stability, restore public confidence, and enable progress on priority reforms.

The United Kingdom welcomes the peaceful return of representative Kosovo‑Serb mayors to the northern municipalities following the October local elections. We encourage them to focus on practical governance, working constructively with central institutions, and responding to the needs of all their constituents. 

The United Kingdom strongly values the Mission’s work in support of democratic processes. The Mission’s technical assistance to election authorities continues to play a vital role in supporting free, fair and credible elections, particularly in a complex political environment. We also welcome the Mission’s wider efforts to strengthen the rule of law, protect community rights, and promote accountability across Kosovo.

Mr Chair, we commend the efforts of the EU Special Representative and international partners to support the implementation of Kosovo’s Law on Foreigners. It remains essential that this process is carried out gradually, transparently, and in close coordination with affected communities and the international community. Access to essential services, including healthcare and education, must not be disrupted. Dialogue and consultation remain key.

The UK remains concerned by the continued lack of normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia. Constructive engagement with the EU facilitated Dialogue, by both sides, and full implementation of all agreement is essential for regional stability and for improving the daily lives of all citizens. We also urge both parties to refrain from rhetoric and actions that undermine trust or escalate tensions.

Accountability also matters. Serbia must bring to justice those responsible for the both the Banjska attack and the attacks against Kosovo Police and KFOR personnel in Zvečan. There can be no impunity for such acts. Full cooperation with investigations is essential.

Finally, we underline the importance of the OSCE Mission’s work with non‑majority communities, including its engagement with institutions such as the Serbian Orthodox Church. The work of the Mission’s network of regional centres – often long-term, low-key and field‑based – remains essential to confidence‑building, early warning, and long‑term stability.

Mr Chair, the UK welcomes the agreement of the 2026 Unified Budget under Switzerland’s Chairpersonship, bringing to an end a prolonged period of financial uncertainty, and providing a more predictable basis for planning and delivery. The reduced financial envelope makes it all the more important that resources are prioritised effectively, and that field missions are enabled to focus on delivering impact against their core mandates. We look forward to further substantive discussions on this matter over the coming months.

In closing, I would like to again thank you, Gerard, for your leadership of the Mission at this critical time. The UK will continue to strongly support the OSCE Mission in Kosovo as it delivers its mandate under challenging circumstances. Its role remains indispensable.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Published 28 May 2026

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 May 2026.

Ambassador Holland set out why Russia’s illegal war is failing: unsustainable casualties, minimal gains and mounting economic strain at home. Russia cannot outlast Ukraine’s partners. Russia needs to get serious about negotiations on a just and lasting peace.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

There are many reasons why Russia should get serious about negotiations on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine:  first and foremost, its war is illegal, unprovoked, and wrong; civilians continue to pay the highest price; and, the scale of destruction inflicted by Russia is beyond anything our continent has seen in 80 years. These facts alone should compel Russia to change course. But the Kremlin must also now realise that Russia cannot win this war and it is time to stop.

On the battlefield, Russia is exhausting its manpower at a rate it cannot sustain. Casualty levels remain staggeringly high, while the pool of volunteers continues to shrink. Russia is increasingly relying on coercion and compulsion, including the recruitment of third-country nationals.

Russia is paying this high price for minimal territorial gains. Its rate of advance has slowed markedly in 2026, despite casualties remaining high. This is not the trajectory of a state on the path to victory.

This is not to gloat. There are wider negative impacts that are a consequence of a frustrating campaign on the front line. When Russia cannot achieve decisive results on the battlefield, it intensifies attacks on civilians. And last weekend, it launched 600 drones at 90 missiles at Ukraine, primarily targeted at Kyiv. This was one of the largest air attacks on the capital since the full-scale invasion, and the largest missile attack on Ukraine since 2024. So far in May these attacks have killed nearly 200 civilians and injured over 1,500 more, meaning that tragically, May is on track for the highest number of civilian casualties since April 2022. A state confident of victory does not need to terrorise civilians. This behaviour betrays weakness, not strength.

That weakness is increasingly visible inside Russia. The war economy is under growing strain. Growth fell to 1% last year. The economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2026, and Russia has cut its growth forecast for this year to just 0.4%. Oil and gas revenues fell by 24% in 2025 and remain down in 2026 compared to the same period last year. Ukrainian strikes have reportedly driven Russian refining capacity to its lowest point since 2009.

And these pressures are being passed directly to the Russian public through higher taxes, reduced social spending and tighter controls. The public frustration that arises from this is suppressed rather than addressed, which runs counter to OSCE commitments on freedoms.

Mr Chair, Russia cannot outlast Ukraine’s partners. Ukraine continues to adapt and innovate. Those who support it remain united and resolute. Our combined economic strength and defence capacity far exceeds Russia’s. Russia’s victory is not inevitable. On current trends, it is increasingly implausible. All the more reason then, for Russia to recognise this reality, agree to a full, unconditional ceasefire and engage seriously on a just and lasting peace. We urge them to do so, and doing so would save many lives.

The United Kingdom will continue to stand with Ukraine, support its right to self-defence, and work with partners to ensure that aggression fails. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 May 2026.

Mr Stephen Lillie CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic in succession to Mr Matthew James Lodge, who will be moving on secondment to another Whitehall Department. Mr Lillie will take up his appointment during September 2026.

Curriculum Vitae

Full name: Stephen Lillie

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 May 2026.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to lead UK-convened international coalition to tackle global emergency of violence against women and girls.

• mirroring the UK Government mission to halve VAWG in a decade, the Coalition announced at the Global Partnerships Conference will see countries across the globe share expertise and scale up prevention work
• eight countries have signed up to this new Coalition, driven by the Foreign Secretary

Women and girls across the globe will be better protected from violence and abuse, as the UK spearheads a new international effort to drive progress, to be announced by the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper today at the Global Partnerships Conference in London.  

The new coalition brings together eight countries to work together to prevent violence so that women and girls can live free from fear, no matter who or where they are. Member states will drive practical action to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence, which affects 1 in every 3 women globally, as well as tackling online abuse, which is on the rise around the world.  

Founding members are the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia.  

As the world faces increasing conflict, the International Coalition will also look to strengthen global efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict and other forms of violence in humanitarian crises.

Next year, the UK will convene a major summit on tackling violence against women and girls where countries can set out further commitments and report on progress.

The Government has already pledged the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history, committing to halve these horrific crimes within a decade and introducing lifesaving policies like Raneem’s Law, which has seen domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms.

The Foreign Secretary has exported her domestic experience into foreign policy, declaring women and girls a departmental priority at the FCDO and protecting central spending on tackling violence against women and girls in a challenging fiscal context.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, said:

Violence against women and girls is a global emergency not just a national emergency. We are determined to work across borders to ensure women’s safety is a world wide priority. I visited the Sudanese border in February, and I heard girls speak of rape, abduction and abhorrent sexual violence. I will make sure their voices are heard and fight to end violence for every single one of them – and for the 1 in 3 women globally who will experience sexual or physical abuse in their lifetime.  

I’m delighted to launch this Coalition with countries around the world that share our ambition. Because from the UK, to Brazil, to South Africa and beyond, women deserve to live free from fear of violence. And because there can be no peace, security, or prosperity for any of us until they do.

Through the Coalition, countries will share expertise in tackling the issue and develop national action plans to scale up work to prevent violence, protect women and girls, and hold perpetrators to account. 

Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper visited Lewisham Police Station, alongside the UK Safeguarding Minister Natalie Fleet and Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation. They spoke to Met police officers and saw demonstrations of their V100 programme – a pioneering digital risk assessment using counter-terrorism tactics to identify, target and manage the most dangerous VAWG offenders in London. 

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Natalie Fleet said:

Violence against women and girls is a global emergency and tackling this issue requires more than warm words.

To create a world where women and girls feel safe from harm, we must build a united, global front and I’m proud to stand alongside international partners today who committed to doing just that.

But we will not stop there. We will deploy the full power of the UK state to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The launch comes alongside the publication of the UK’s new International Strategic Framework on Women and Girls, which sets out how the UK will defend the rights of women and girls across the world, embedding this across diplomacy, trade, security, and development, using UK partnerships and resources to drive progress. 

The Framework outlines the UK’s increased ambition to ensure women and girls are placed at the heart of everything we do, and includes a commitment that at least 90% of FCDO bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) will have a focus on gender equality by 2030.

Notes to editors:  

• In 2024, the Foreign Secretary (in her previous role as Home Secretary) set out new measures set out to combat violence against women and girls – GOV.UK, including the introduction of Raneem’s Law which saw domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms.
• Last year, the UK unveiled its national VAWG strategy, setting out how the UK will meet its ambition to halve VAWG in a decade – a commitment made by the Foreign Secretary (in her previous role as Home Secretary).
• In March, the Foreign Secretary made women and girls a departmental priority at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. She also announced that central spending on preventing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) will be protected at 2025 to 2026 levels.