UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of waging 19th century-style «imperial conquest» in Ukraine, «deliberately» degrading international dynamics and «utterly» disregarding global values.
«Let us consider for a moment the alternative world that Vladimir Putin longs for,» he said during a speech on Monday, adding that the only possible option towards peace in Europe is for «Putin to end his war and withdraw his troops,» according to the British government’s website.
Cleverly stressed that when Russia attacks Ukraine this causes world prices to rise, with a chain reaction that produces «even greater hardship for some of the world’s poorest people,» considering that the country is one of the world’s largest producers of food and fertilizer.
«While we oppose the Russian invasion, the UK benefits beyond measure from our strong friendships with the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and many others,» the Foreign Secretary said in contrast.
Cleverly said that, as foreign minister of «a former imperial power», the United Kingdom «in the past» was a European country that succumbed «to the temptation of will and appetite». Thus, he indicated that Putin’s goal is to «turn back the clock» to the times when «great countries could treat their neighbors as prey».
«None of us can forget how, in the 20th century, aggressive tyrants made the world their prey, starting two world wars and leaving more than 100 million dead,» he has recalled, adding that between 1946 and 2020, the number of deaths in conflicts was reduced by 95 percent in relation to the world population.
«Only once since the founding of the UN has a member country been wiped off the map, with its entire national territory annexed by another. That act of aggression by Iraq against Kuwait in 1990 was quickly reversed,» he said, emphasizing the importance of the UN’s role in bringing peace to the world.
In this way, the British Foreign Secretary welcomed Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members of the UN Security Council, together with the permanent African representation.
THE ROLE OF NATO Cleverly dedicated a portion of his speech to praising NATO and said that this «defensive» alliance helps countries to «protect themselves from aggressors». Relations with NATO or G7 countries represent a «source of strength and the cornerstone of British democracy and diplomacy,» he stressed.
«When powerful states like China reject defensive alliances as ‘bloc politics,’ they misunderstand the desire of every nation to live in peace, without fear of aggression; or perhaps they provide particularly chilling signals (coming from) a country militarizing at a pace the world has rarely seen before,» he has pointed out.
He has also noted that London will «demonstrate long-term commitment» to the Indo-Pacific region by joining the free trade agreement «as soon as possible.» «We will deepen our cooperation with India, the new chair of the G20, and finalize our trade agreement with them,» he added.
On the other hand, the British Foreign Secretary has explained during his speech that London will support South Africa and Indonesia towards just energy transition. «The EU and the UK are working on a similar agreement with Vietnam,» he assured.
«The UK has influence and it is my job to use it (…) Because in the past I think we have perhaps been too transactional and too impatient,» Cleverly concluded.
