Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make a statement on the UK’s involvement in (a) NATO-Russia Council talks on 12 January 2022 and (b) OSCE talks on 10 January 2022.

The UK is at the heart of the international community's engagement to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This includes shaping international sanctions against Russia; deepening The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) partnership with Ukraine; and leading efforts in the UN and OSCE to hold Russia to account for its destabilising behaviour.

The first NATO-Russia Council (NRC) in two and a half years (since July 2019) took place on Wednesday 12 January. The UK and our Allies made clear to Russia that its military build-up on the border of Ukraine, and in illegally annexed Crimea, is unacceptable, and invited Russia to further meetings of the NRC to discuss our respective security concerns in detail. The only way forward is for Russia to de-escalate and engage in meaningful discussions.

At the OSCE Permanent Council meeting on 13 January, the UK and our partners outlined the importance of abiding by OSCE principles and commitments, including military transparency. The UK stressed the importance of Russia upholding the commitments it signed up to freely. This includes the Helsinki Final Act and the Minsk Protocols, as well as the Budapest Memorandum guaranteeing to "respect the independence and sovereignty and the borders of Ukraine".