Three years, three weeks, three days: a testing time for Europe's security

Three years ago, Europe changed for the worse. Russia's invasion of a sovereign European country was an unprovoked and unjustified violation of the UN Charter, committed by a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Three weeks: that was the safe assumption the Russians had about how long Ukraine would be able to hold out. Three years later, Kiev remains a free city, President Zelensky and his people have shown what resilience, true freedom and democracy are.

Three days in Munich, at the annual Security Conference, were marked by a message from the US administration that some in Europe may not have liked, but to which we all must respond. We must do more for our security.

In an increasingly dangerous world, we can only keep our countries safe if we work together: that was the message that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to Brussels ten days ago, at the EU Summit on Defence and Security. That means Europe must invest more in defence for our own good and to ensure that the US remains committed to playing its essential role in transatlantic security.  

And for Kosovo, whose security and defense are guaranteed by its NATO partners, this means meticulous coordination and cooperation with these partners to minimize security risks and accelerate the path towards a minimal presence.

The catalogue of crimes in Russia's barbaric attack on Ukraine is shocking: the abduction, murder and torture of the civilian population; the forced deportation of children; rape and sexual violence; the use of chemical weapons; deliberate attacks on the energy and food infrastructure of the civilian population.  

The United Kingdom and Kosovo share a deep abhorrence of the invasion of Ukraine, a common understanding of the implications of inaction, and a determination to ensure that Putin does not win.  

The UK has provided over €15 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid since 2022, including £5 billion in humanitarian aid, energy and reconstruction. We will spend at least £3 billion a year by 2030 to support Ukraine. We are proud to be working with Kosovo to support Ukraine’s resistance. The latest contingent of Kosovo Security Force instructors departed for the UK last month to join the training programme for Ukrainian soldiers. 
 
Many are doing too much, but we all must do more. Britain will invest more in its defence and will be ambitious for greater UK-EU cooperation and an expanded European role in NATO.  

On Ukraine, Europe must play its full role in the broader effort to secure a strong and lasting peace that secures Ukraine’s freedom and prosperity and deters future Russian aggression. A just and lasting peace is vital for Ukraine and for broader Euro-Atlantic and international security and prosperity. This will require strong security arrangements from the outset that ensure that Russia is never able to invade again. Putin has shown time and again that he is not averse to breaking a weak agreement.  

NATO has made a long-standing commitment to Ukraine that it is on an irreversible path to membership, as agreed by Allies at the Washington Summit last year. We stand by this commitment, just as we stand by our desire to work with Kosovo on its path to eventual NATO membership.  

The UK stands ready to play a leading role in providing security assurances to Ukraine, alongside European partners and the US, including deploying British troops on the ground if necessary. These will not be easy decisions, but the alternative is too bleak to contemplate. History teaches us that taking principled action when necessary, even when the cost is high, is the right and wise thing to do for the future.

(The author is the ambassador of the United Kingdom in Kosovo)