Home Secretary meeting with ‘Five Eyes’ counterparts

Home Secretary Priti Patel convened and chaired a virtual meeting with her ministerial counterparts from the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance yesterday evening.

Ministers from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand discussed the concerning developments in and around Ukraine and how to work together to protect domestic resilience and homeland security across the 5 countries.

They condemned Russia’s actions and reiterated that the international community should be united in its response.

The Home Secretary briefed her counterparts on the sanctions that the Prime Minister announced in response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine and underlined the need for like-minded countries to coordinate their response to this challenging situation.

The ministers agreed that it would be especially important to continue cooperation on cyber defence, given increased potential for cyber-attacks, and to counter disinformation. Ministers also agreed on the need for cooperation to combat illicit finance in the current circumstances.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

Our trusted Five Eyes partners represent a vital international alliance with whom we can work and collaborate to help protect our homelands and stand up to aggressors.

The current situation in Ukraine is deeply concerning but by working with long-standing friends and allies, we are showing our solidarity with Ukraine and demonstrating that the international response to Russia’s actions will be united and robust.