Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2026.

UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Kumar Iyer.

Mr President,

We continue to regret that the Commission of Inquiry was established on an open-ended basis. Nevertheless, the UK remains committed to upholding human rights and recognises the value of proportionate scrutiny of allegations of violations and abuses by all parties in Israel and Palestine.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains intolerable. Urgent action is needed to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. All parties must comply with IHL, including on the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and the principle of distinction.

We are also deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, including continued settler violence, illegal settlement expansion, and ongoing demolitions and displacement. The UK has taken action, including through sanctions and guidance to UK businesses, to deter and counter support for illegal settlements and those responsible for related violence.

The UK continues to support efforts to restore and sustain a ceasefire, including the disarmament of Hamas and an end to its control of Gaza, and a return to a credible political process toward a two-state solution, delivering lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

What steps does the Commission see as most effective in advancing accountability and addressing the drivers of violence?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2026.

UK announces major new sanctions package choking off Russia’s war effort across multiple fronts.

• UK announces 70 new sanctions targeting Russia’s decrepit shadow fleet, military procurement supply chains and illicit finance networks used to circumvent sanctions.  
• UK ramps up pressure on Russia during G7 Summit following latest abhorrent attacks against Ukraine,  killing innocent civilians and destroying holy sites.
• The UK has now sanctioned almost 500 individuals, entities and ships under its Russia sanctions regime in 2026 alone, as allied support for Ukraine tops the G7 agenda.  

The UK has unleashed a major new sanctions package choking off Russia’s war effort across multiple fronts.  

New action directly targets Russia’s illicit shadow fleet and finance networks used to circumvent Western sanctions and support military procurement.   

Today’s sanctions further crack down on Russia’s decrepit and ageing shadow fleet, targeting more than 20 oil tankers with new and enhanced powers introduced last month. The UK is also tightening the net around those who are suspected of enabling Putin’s illicit oil trade, further sanctioning ship insurers and other shipping services.  

The UK is the first G7 country to sanction several Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessels recently acquired by Russia at great expense to service Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, responsible for exporting millions of tonnes of LNG, in an attempt to source dirty revenue for the Kremlin.    

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia’s war economy, and in turn, threatening European security.

Working with our G7 allies, we will continue to increase the pressure in Putin and his circle of collaborators until Russia’s war machine is brought to a halt and peace returns to our continent.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 

As the Kremlin resorts to ever more shady tactics to sustain its war, from its ageing shadow fleet to covert finance networks, the UK remains one step ahead in shutting them down. 

These sanctions strike at the heart of these murky efforts, to starve Putin’s war machine and defend Britain’s security. 

Shoulder to shoulder with our G7 partners, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Those who are suspected of enabling the sale of tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet will be exposed and face action. UK sanctions are greatly limiting Russia’s ability to trade oil – in 2025 the Arctic LNG-2 terminal only exported 1.3 million tons of LNG despite having capacity to export over 13.5 million tons a year.   

To date, the UK has now sanctioned more than 600 shadow fleet and Russian LNG vessels. 

New measures also expose and target a Russian military intelligence (GRU) network centred around GRU front company LLC Neptune Co Ltd (‘Neptune’).

Neptune is involved in covertly procuring western technology for Russia’s military.

Today’s actions target three companies and 10 GRU officers suspected of acquiring military technology that Russia desperately needs to sustain its military aggression in Ukraine.  

Elsewhere, sanctions also hit third country suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia in China, Thailand and Türkiye. Several organisations helping Russia illegally move money, bypassing western sanctions, are also targeted including one entity in Nigeria supporting the illicit finance network A7’s sanctions evasions scheme.

Gathering in Évian-les-Bains, G7 Leaders will discuss their joint determination to tackle the single largest threat to global security – Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.  

As the UK increases pressure on Russia’s war economy, today’s action demonstrates an unshakeable determination to defend security in Ukraine, Europe and at home.

Notes to editors:  

• UK cracks down on backdoor Russian sanctions evasion with tough new measures
• In total, the UK has committed up to £21.8 billion for Ukraine:
  • £13 billion in military support (including our £2.26 billion ERA Loan contribution)  
  • £5.3 billion in non-military support (including bilateral assistance and fiscal guarantees)   
  • £3.5 billion cover limit in export finance (via UK Export Finance for reconstruction and defence projects)    
• The UK is a leading bilateral donor, having committed £1.2billion in bilateral support, including over £577million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion. We are committing up to £283million in bilateral assistance for 2025 to 2026, to fund humanitarian, energy, stabilisation, reform, recovery and reconstruction programmes.
• View the full UK sanctions list
• View the full list of Russia sanctions designations, 16 June 2026

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2026.

UK Statement for the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Eritrea. Delivered at the 62nd Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The UK thanks the Special Rapporteur for his update and for his work throughout his tenure. We are disappointed that the Eritrean Government continues to refuse to engage with this mandate.     

We welcome the release of some of those held in arbitrary detention for political or religious reasons. However, many more remain detained in inhumane conditions, and we encourage the Eritrean Government to extend these releases.   

The system of indefinite national service has a suffocating impact on the lives of Eritreans, especially young people, and has contributed to mass emigration including to the UK. It requires urgent reform.  

We support the report’s recommendations, including the call for the implementation of Eritrea’s Constitution.  

Special Rapporteur,  as you reflect on the past 6 years of your tenure, where do you see the most realistic opportunities for progress as you hopefully hand the baton to a successor?

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2026.

UK Statement for the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Kumar Iyer.

Mr President, 

The UK thanks the Fact-Finding Mission for its harrowing update. It is deplorable that as the conflict enters its fourth year, such grave violations and abuses of human rights continue unabated.  

Mr President, we are deeply alarmed by what we have heard today. Systematic arbitrary detention and torture devastate civilian lives. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are abhorrent and must end. Survivors must be supported and those responsible held to account. Let us be clear: sexual violence must never be used as a tactic of war.  

The expanding use of drones is intensifying humanitarian need, with over 880 civilians reportedly killed by drone strikes this year alone. We deplore the continued targeting of civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, and hospitals. 

We call on the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and their allies to comply fully with their obligations under international humanitarian law, enable safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access and end the fighting.  

We welcome the continued cooperation between the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the AU Fact-Finding Mission, including the Banjul Declaration. Together, their efforts are critical for ending the cycle of impunity and building the foundations of peaceful future for the people of Sudan.  

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2026.

Mr Peter Vowles has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in succession to Dr Richard Montgomery CMG.

Mr Vowles will take up his appointment during September 2026.

Curriculum vitae

Full name:  Peter Vowles 

2023 to present	Harare, HM Ambassador
2022 to 2023	FCDO, Transformation Director
2021 to 2022	Yangon, HM Ambassador
2018 to 2021	DFID, Director, Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories
2016 to 2018	Kenya, DFID Country Director
2013 to 2016	DFID, Head of Programme Delivery
2010 to 2013	Democratic Republic of Congo, Deputy DFID Country Director
2007 to 2010	India, Head of Global Partnerships
2006 to 2007	Afghanistan, Governance and Security Team Leader
2006	Joined DFID
2005 to 2006	Mott MacDonald, Health and Development Consultant
2003 to 2005	Bangladesh, Population and Health Programme Director
2002 to 2003	Bangladesh, World Bank Health Adviser
2000 to 2002	National Health Service, Management Training Scheme
1999 to 2000	Raleigh International, Head of Projects
1996 to 1999	Zimbabwe, Policy and Programme Manager, Students Partnership Worldwide
1992 to 1993	Zimbabwe, Teacher, Ministry of Education Sports and Culture

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 June 2026.

Statement by Legal Adviser Colin McIntyre at the UN Security Council meeting on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

President, today’s briefing occurs at an important time for the Mechanism, with Council Members currently undertaking the mandated review of the Mechanism’s work. In this context, I will make three points.

First, as the Council agreed in resolution 1966, the Mechanism should be a small, temporary and efficient structure, whose functions and size diminish over time and whose staffing and structure are commensurate with those functions. 

As the president mentioned in her remarks, the Mechanism has already rightly taken a number of steps in this regard, including staffing and budget reductions in recent years.  

However, much more needs to be done to ensure that the Mechanism becomes a substantially smaller institution than has been the case to date, in light of its residual nature. 

So as we work towards the adoption of a resolution later this month we should seek to ensure a more focussed and substantially reduced mandate for the Mechanism, retaining what is necessary, while safeguarding its important legacy.   

Second, the UK welcomes the Strategic Plan presented by the Mechanism’s Principals. 

The Plan provides a good basis for discussions and for achieving change in a responsible manner.

Turning now to some of the specifics covered in the Plan, in our view, it is important that a small core of judicial functions should remain at the international level. 

However, this range of judicial functions should be much narrower than at present and could be performed by a roster of judges which is also reduced in number.

We further recognise the continued value many States attach to the provision of assistance to national authorities provided by the Office of the Prosecutor.  

However, we agree that this function can be moved to the UN Secretariat and should reduce in size over time.

In relation to the archives, we thank those States that have made offers to host these materials. 

The UK’s view remains that the Mechanism’s archives should be transferred to the UN Secretariat and should be housed as close as possible to affected communities, also taking into account cost-effectiveness and ease of access.

We further call on the Mechanism to implement the outstanding recommendations in the recent OIOS report and to welcome the steps outlined in the Mechanism’s own report in that regard.

Finally, although there are historic reasons for the Mechanism’s two-branch structure, at this stage in its lifecycle, the UK considers this is no longer necessary.  

In our view, it would be more cost-effective to remove this requirement from the Mechanism’s statute.

In conclusion, Madam President, the UK will continue to work with others to secure the Mechanism’s legacy whilst ensuring that this is done in a way that appropriately reflects the residual stage of its remaining operations.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 June 2026.

Politico-Military Counsellor, Ankur Narayan, highlights E3 leaders’ reaffirmation of unwavering support for Ukraine’s defence, underscores the unsustainability of Russia’s war effort in the face of mounting casualties and minimal territorial gains, condemns continued Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, and calls on Russia to agree an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

On 7 June, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany met President Zelenskyy in London and reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s illegal invasion and set out the conditions for a just and lasting peace. Ukraine’s is a State that is serious about ending this war. A war remember that it never wanted in the first place. It has consistently demonstrated its readiness to pursue peace through diplomatic means, including by agreeing to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

Russia is not serious about peace, as has been the case throughout the war. Most recently, at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, President Putin dismissed proposals for direct engagement. Russia continues to refuse a ceasefire and continues to call for Ukraine to withdraw from its own internationally-recognised territory. This land is Ukraine, not Russia. It is no coincidence that it contains the ‘Fortress Belt’ of cities vital for Ukraine’s defence; demands that they hand these over are effectively a demand for Ukraine’s surrender.

While Russia demands that Ukraine withdraws from its sovereign territory, it is facing increasing setbacks on the battlefield. Still suffering 30,000 casualties a month, up to half of which are fatalities, Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed to a crawl. And Ukraine has demonstrated its continued ability to counterattack, as we have seen recently in Stepnohirsk. Having suffered 420,000 casualties to only occupy an additional 0.8% of Ukraine in 2025, Russia is on track to match these record casualty rates for an even smaller gain in 2026. Occupying less than 19.5% of Ukraine at the cost of 1.3 million casualties so far, this rate of loss will become increasingly unsustainable the longer Putin pursues this illegal invasion. As the United Kingdom said at the Permanent Council a fortnight ago, this is not to gloat at such tragic figures, it is to point out the utter futility of continuing this war as if it can be won.

Russia has failed to take by force the Ukrainian land that it asks Ukraine to withdraw from through negotiations. Meanwhile, Russia continues to intensify its attacks, injuring and killing Ukrainian civilians. May saw the most drones fired into Ukraine since the invasion began, and the highest reported civilian casualty figures since April 2022. Regrettably, June looks set to continue this trend, with over 2,400 drones and 77 missiles fired between the 1st and 9th, killing 98 civilians and injuring over 680 more. The mass attack on the night of 1–2 June saw the largest ballistic and hypersonic missile strike of the entire war. The international community has condemned these attacks, including the repeated reckless use of Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missiles, on Ukrainian cities, as well as irresponsible and dangerous Russian drone incursions into NATO territory. This is the conduct of a state compensating for failure on the battlefield with violence against the people of Ukraine.

Russia’s maximalist demands, coupled with its rejection of a full and unconditional ceasefire and the intensifying violence that is harming civilians, stand in clear contradiction to its commitments under the Helsinki Final Act, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as to its broader obligations under international law. Russia is neither engaging seriously in negotiations nor acknowledging the hard realities on the ground.

The path to peace has been clearly set out, by Ukraine, by the E3 leaders in London, and by partners across the international community. Russia can choose to take it at any time, by agreeing to an immediate, unconditional and complete ceasefire and engaging meaningfully in negotiations. The United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, to maintain pressure on the Kremlin, and to act in solidarity with Ukraine and with partners in this Forum.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 June 2026.

Ms Belinda Lewis has been selected to become the next Governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in succession to Mr Nigel Phillips CBE, who will be retiring from the Diplomatic Service. Ms Lewis will take up her appointment during September 2026.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Belinda Lewis 

2025 to 2026	FCDO, Director Special Projects and pre-posting preparation
2021 to 2025	Kuwait City, His Majesty’s Ambassador
2018 to 2021	FCO, Deputy Director, Human Resources (followed by maternity leave)
2016 to 2018	Karachi, Deputy High Commissioner and Trade Director for Pakistan (followed by maternity leave)
2014 to 2016	Baghdad, Deputy Head of Mission
2012 to 2014	Lashkar Gah, Director Rule of Law and Operations, later Head of Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team
2010 to 2012	MoJ, Deputy Director, International Justice Policy
2009 to 2010	MoJ, Deputy Director, Information Rights Policy
2008 to 2009	Immigration Service, Border Security and Visa Policy
2007	Washington, Secondment to US Department of Homeland Security
2006 to 2007	MoJ, Head of EU and International Data Policy
2005 to 2006	MoJ, Team Leader, Information Rights Department
2003 to 2005	DCMS, Fast Stream policy roles
2001 to 2003	Edinburgh, Milan and London, HSBC Bank

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 June 2026.

Delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting on June 2026.

I thank the Director General for his sobering report, and for the continued professionalism and courage of IAEA staff on the ground. Their presence remains indispensable in reducing risks and providing independent, credible reporting under extraordinarily difficult conditions. 

The report points to a progressively degrading operating environment across Ukraine’s nuclear sites. However, developments since its issuance underscore that these risks are not static. They are worsening. 

It is Russia’s illegal invasion and ongoing aggression against Ukraine that has created these conditions, forcing the Agency into the role of negotiating military pauses around nuclear facilities.  

Chair, we are deeply alarmed by the recent drone strike against the Centralised Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility at Chornobyl. That a strike of this nature could occur without immediate radiological consequences should not reassure us; it underlines how narrow the safety margins have become, and how dependent they now are on circumstance rather than control. 

This facility sits within a vast exclusion zone, well outside any immediate military necessity. Striking nuclear infrastructure in such an environment is not coincidence – it is reckless and wilful irresponsibility. 

This is reinforced by the detail of the Director General’s report: persistent and widespread military activity across all of Ukraine’s nuclear sites, including ZNPP; ongoing grid instability; attacks on energy infrastructure; and repeated reliance on emergency systems to compensate for those failures. 

The sheer volume of incidents is striking: 

• One power line to Rivne NPP remained disconnected throughout the reporting period following earlier military damage; 
• On 26 February, Chornobyl NPP lost off-site power, while Khmelnytskyy (and South Ukraine NPP each lost an off-site power line; 
• On 14 March, Chornobyl experienced a prolonged disconnection requiring activation of emergency diesel generators; 
• At ZNPP, continued reliance on a single power line and repeated losses of off-site power on 14, 16 and 26 April, and 28 May. 

This brings the total number of LOOP events at ZNPP to sixteen since the start of the conflict. 

Chair, these incidents do not need to result in an immediate radiological release to be serious: each loss of off-site power and each disruption to grid stability further erodes defence-in-depth and reduces the safety margins on which secure nuclear operations depend. 

IAEA reports of a drone strike on the turbine hall at ZNPP further demonstrate how even incidents without immediate radiological impact contribute to worsening risk environment driven by Russia’s illegal invasion. 

We commend the Director General for his sustained efforts to broker temporary ceasefire arrangements to enable critical repair work at ZNPP. These are important and necessary measures to reduce immediate nuclear risk. 

However, let me be clear: we should not be in this position at all. 

The simplest way to reduce nuclear risk is for Russia to cease its aggression and withdraw from Ukraine. Nothing less will deliver the conditions required for safe and secure nuclear operations. 

Thank you.

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

Joint Statement by the Foreign Minister of Australia and the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom on Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence.

We, the Foreign Minister of Australia and Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, reaffirm our shared commitment to end all forms of gender-based violence. Protecting against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment – including in development, humanitarian and peacekeeping contexts – is a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

Gender-based violence remains a pervasive human rights abuse, experienced by one in three women globally. This widespread violence has profound social and economic costs, estimated at around USD1.5 trillion – two per cent of global GDP – each year.

As digital technologies reshape our societies, these harms are being replicated and amplified online. Men and boys are increasingly engaging with misogynistic content that normalises and promotes gender-based violence.

Technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence is a national security threat. It is increasingly linked to the exploitation of online spaces to spread harmful norms, coordinate abuse, and undermine democratic institutions and women’s social, political and economic participation and gender equality gains. These actions present risks to social cohesion and national security.

In response, Australia and the United Kingdom are intensifying our efforts to ensure that all women and girls are safe from gender-based violence, and to ensure that perpetrators – online and offline – are held to account. In May, the United Kingdom and Australia came together to launch a new International Coalition to End Violence against Women and Girls, in partnership with six other countries to drive sustained attention and action at national, regional and international levels.

Two years on from signing the Australia-UK Memorandum of Understanding to Collaborate on Ending Gender-based Violence, together, we reaffirm our commitment to its full implementation, including through:

• Prevention and addressing the root causes of violence, including through evidence-based action to challenge harmful norms, behaviours and systems that enable violence against women and girls in all contexts.
• Holding perpetrators to account and supporting victim-survivors, including strengthening justice responses, improving access to services, and ensuring survivor-centred approaches across both offline and online settings.
• Coordinated international advocacy to drive a more concerted collective response, including through joint leadership in multilateral fora and initiatives such as the International Coalition to End Violence against Women, the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, and the upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Summit, to mobilise greater ambition, alignment and accountability.

Together, we will also strengthen our collaboration on online safety, working to drive renewed international momentum to address the online and technology-facilitated abuse of women and children. This includes addressing some of the most prevalent and fast-growing harms such as non-consensual intimate image abuse, which is increasingly facilitated by generative AI. We will work with partners to align standards, promote safety-by-design and scale proven solutions. Practical actions include piloting and securing endorsements for the Preliminary Model National Framework for Non-Consensual Intimate Images (NCII), working together through the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, and launching a new round of the Tech Safety Showcase in partnership with UNFPA.

These efforts align with and advance the objectives of the 2024 Australia-UK Memorandum of Understanding on Online Safety and Security and reinforce our shared commitment to a safer digital environment for all.

Australia and the United Kingdom remain deeply committed to working together – across both foreign and domestic policy – to ensure all women and girls can live free from gender-based violence.