Tag: 2026

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2026.

Ambassador Holland underlines the growing gap between Russia’s rhetoric and actions, highlighting intensified attacks and rising civilian casualties. Ukraine has demonstrated its readiness for peace, while Russia continues to obstruct and undermine the path towards a just and lasting settlement.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

We continue to hear claims from Russia that it is open to a peaceful resolution to its war of aggression against Ukraine. But words about peace matter only if they are matched by actions. And there remains a clear and widening gap between Russia’s rhetoric and the reality of its conduct. While speaking of negotiations, Russia continues to reject meaningful opportunities for dialogue and instead intensifies its attacks, with Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure continuing to be impacted.

The facts on the ground are clear. In May, Russia fired a record 7,100 drones at Ukraine, the third consecutive month in which this grim record was broken. May also saw the highest number of civilian casualties since April 2022. And this pattern has continued into June. In its latest mass attack, Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles, killing at least 23 civilians, including two children, and injuring many more. This is not the conduct of a state preparing the ground for peace. It is the conduct of a state continuing to intensify its aggression.

By contrast, Ukraine has shown repeatedly that it is ready for peace. It has agreed to proposals for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. It has engaged constructively with negotiations. And it has demonstrated that it is prepared to take serious steps to reduce violence and create space for diplomacy. Ukraine is ready. Russia is not.

Ukraine’s position was reinforced last weekend, when the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany met President Zelenskyy and called on President Putin to agree to an immediate and complete ceasefire. They were equally clear that international borders must not be changed by force, that Ukraine’s sovereign right to choose its own security arrangements must be fully respected, and that any just and lasting peace must be underpinned by robust security guarantees. These are serious, credible and principled foundations for peace.

Russia, however, continues to advance maximalist objectives. It continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from areas Russia has failed to occupy after years of fighting. It continues to prolong negotiations while intensifying military pressure. And it continues to behave as though sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-use of force are somehow negotiable. They are not.

There is therefore a fundamental contradiction at the heart of Russia’s position. It speaks of peace but acts for war. It calls for dialogue but refuses to engage seriously. The conclusion is unavoidable: Russia has not chosen peace. And there remains one party actively seeking to prolong this war, and it’s the same country that started it and could end it tomorrow: Russia.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine as it exercises its legitimate right of self-defence under the UN Charter. If Russia is serious about peace, it should demonstrate that through its actions by ending its attacks; agreeing to an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire; engaging constructively in negotiations; and respecting international law and OSCE principles.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2026.

Joint statement from the Foreign Ministers of the UK, Australia and Canada on the launch of the International Peace Fund for Israelis and Palestinians.

Today, we the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada are pleased to announce that we will establish a new International Peace Fund for Israelis and Palestinians, a multi-donor initiative to support peacebuilding efforts to establish the conditions for a lasting peace.

We are doing so at a moment of acute crisis in Israel and Palestine. The last three years have exacted a devastating and dehumanising toll on civilians and deepened mistrust and division between communities. At the same time, civil society has faced increasing restrictions and unprecedented pressure.

As prospects for a two-state solution remain challenging in the short term, there is an urgent need to invest in the conditions that can make future peace possible, through sustained dialogue and vital grassroots engagement.

We remain committed to a just and lasting resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, based on a negotiated two-state solution in which Israeli and Palestinian people can live in peace, security and dignity.

The fund will help strengthen the voices of moderates and marginalise the extremists, including Hamas.

As we have learned from other entrenched conflicts around the world, peace cannot be achieved through political and security measures alone. It also requires sustained effort to rebuild trust, to strengthen cooperation, and to highlight the shared humanity of people.

The Peace Fund will invest in programmes that advance a two-state solution, help reduce division, strengthen civil society, and support dialogue and cooperation within and between Israeli and Palestinian communities, building the foundations for peace.

The Fund will complement existing diplomatic, humanitarian and development efforts by helping to build the relationships, confidence and shared understanding needed for successful negotiations.

Funding contributions underscore strong international commitment to this initiative. As such, we will each be contributing initial seed funding equivalent to £1 million over three years.  Once established, the Fund will be open to additional financial contributions from international partners committed to advancing peace.

Funding will be directed to trusted civil society organisations (CSOs) in both Israel and Palestine, with demonstrated expertise in peacebuilding and dialogue. Additional information on the fund, and its modalities will be announced shortly.

We call on our international partners to support this initiative and invest in the long-term foundations of peace. We also urge all parties to the conflict to take steps to reduce tensions, protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and uphold international law.

The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada remain committed to working with partners to advance a two-state solution, as the only viable option for peace, security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2026.

Mr Vicente Solera Deuchar has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic in succession to Mr Nicholas Bowler. 

Mr Solera Deuchar will take up his appointment during August 2026.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Vicente Solera Deuchar

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2026.

Ambassador Holland reaffirmed the UK’s strong support for the Council of Europe and its partnership with the OSCE, highlighting shared commitments to human rights, democracy and rule of law, and underlining the importance of accountability for Russia’s war against Ukraine and strengthened institutional co-operation.

Thank you, Mr Chair. 

Secretary General, welcome back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for your presentation and for your continued leadership at the Council of Europe, which remains central to the UK’s human rights and foreign policy agenda.  

The UK values the longstanding relationship between the OSCE and the Council of Europe, grounded in our shared commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. These principles underpin our work in Vienna and Strasbourg and are essential to both individual freedoms and economic prosperity.  

We meet at a time of serious challenge to European multilateralism, with Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine presenting a challenge to the rules by which we all agreed to abide. We urge all OSCE participating States to uphold our shared commitments. We must not allow aggression to undermine the international rules-based order.  

The UK strongly supports Ukraine’s accountability efforts. We were proud to Chair the Conference of Participants for the Register of Damage until last week, which now includes over 160,000 claims. We commend the Council of Europe’s leadership on the Claims Commission Convention, which was opened for signature in December, and welcome the adoption in Chisinau last month of the resolution establishing the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine by 34 Council of Europe member States including the UK, as well as the EU, Australia and Costa Rica. 

The Council of Europe and the OSCE have complementary roles in promoting democratic values, including media freedom, gender equality, and free elections. Our memberships are not the same but both organisations face similar challenges such as democratic backsliding. It is therefore more important than ever to coordinate effectively, to minimise duplication and overlap and focus on the two organisations’ respective mandates and comparative strengths to maximise impact, particularly in a time of constrained resources.  We would be interested in your reflections on that.

In this spirit we welcome your initiative to create a New Democratic Pact for Europe, bringing stakeholders together to address democratic backsliding, impunity, and authoritarianism. 

Secretary General, the UK remains a steadfast supporter of both organisations. We wish you and your team every success.  

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2026.

The UK, Australia and Canada have ​launched a peace fund to ‌complement broader efforts towards a two-state solution.

• Fund will prioritise long-term peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians to address root causes of conflict and support a sustainable two-state solution
• Initiative jointly announced during meeting of three foreign ministers at Chevening
• Will complement existing efforts to provide humanitarian support in Palestine, crack down on violent settlers, and support the 20-point Gaza peace plan
• Ministers reiterate commitment to tackle antisemitism around the world, and end the security threat from Hamas

The UK is stepping up efforts to tackle the root causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict and support a path to a two-state solution by launching a new International Peace Fund.

The announcement came as UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper hosted her Australian and Canadian counterparts, Penny Wong and Anita Anand, for talks at Chevening on the Strait of Hormuz, the drive for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan, and the global crisis of violence against women and girls.

The Peace Fund announcement forms part of the UK’s wider effort to use all available diplomatic, humanitarian and practical levers to support peace in Israel and Palestine. In partnership with Australia and Canada, the Fund will support practical, grassroots initiatives that bring communities together in order to rebuild trust, and reduce the divisions that harm the prospect of long-term peace.

As well as supporting existing programmes to improve their reach and capability, the Fund will also invest in new ventures, spanning all levels of society, from local community projects to support for dialogue between future leaders. Funding will go to a range of projects, particularly those that include youth groups, civil society organisations and women, with an emphasis on relationship building and creating opportunities for engagement that can underpin future peace negotiations.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Peace, justice and security in the Middle East depends on a two-state solution and it is why our countries have recognised the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.

But too often Middle East peace is seen as an issue only of international diplomacy. When generations of Israelis and Palestinians have grown up with cycles of conflict and violence, we also need to support the local community organisations who are building dialogue, peace and trust across communities.

That is why the UK is launching the International Peace Fund with Australia and Canada, to support those working tirelessly to foster understanding between Israeli and Palestinian communities and create the conditions for the two states to live side-by-side in peace.

Alongside our international partners, we are clear that a negotiated two-state solution remains the only viable route to a just and lasting peace, with security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. This Fund will help support progress towards that goal from within those communities themselves.

The announcement reinforces the UK’s longstanding leadership in the field of peacebuilding, drawing on experience from similar efforts in Northern Ireland and ongoing work in the Western Balkans to address the underlying drivers of conflict.

This is the latest action taken by the UK to support peace in lockstep with international partners. On Tuesday, alongside Australia and Canada, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions on violent settlers in the West Bank to protect Palestinian human rights and clamp down on those harming prospects for peace.

Meeting at Chevening, the three ministers also affirmed their commitment to ensure that Hamas should be disarmed, disempowered and dismantled as part of the 20-point Gaza peace plan, so it can play no part in the future governance of Palestine, and pose no future threat to the security of Israel.

They also discussed the global rise in antisemitic hatred and violence, and reiterated their commitment to protect the freedom and safety of the Jewish communities that have been the target of appalling attacks in the UK, Australia and Canada over the past year.

Background

• The UK, Australia and Canada have each put in £1m to launch the Fund. Once operational, the Fund will seek to bring on other donors and scale up efforts.
• The Fund will complement diplomatic and humanitarian efforts by investing in the social and civic foundations needed for a sustainable peace and working with partners to mobilise wider international support.
• More information on the sanctions announced by the UK, Australia, Canada and further partners this week UK and allies sanction networks enabling settler violence in the West Bank