Deputy Ambassador James Ford, in a statement to the OSCE on 1 October 2026, outlined the UK's perspective on Russia's war against Ukraine. The statement asserted that Russia had committed in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and existing borders.
According to the UK, Russian forces invaded Crimea in 2014, seizing and attempting to illegally annex the peninsula. Russia then reportedly fuelled, armed, and sustained conflict in eastern Ukraine for eight years. The UK stated that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, describing it as unprovoked and a deliberate choice made in Moscow.
The statement highlighted that Russia's full-scale invasion has now entered its 1,681st day. The UK also noted that Russia is reportedly on course to set new wartime records for missile and drone attacks against Ukraine this year. The UK further claimed that Russia has violated the UN Charter, its commitments under the Budapest Memorandum, and principles of the Helsinki Final Act.
The UK statement mentioned that ODIHR, United Nations bodies, and independent experts appointed under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism have reported grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. These bodies have identified conduct that they say may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, with evidence from the massacre in Bucha forming part of this documented record. The UK stated that Ukraine has accepted a proposal for a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire and remains ready for negotiations, but Russia has refused.