PM call with President of the European Council Charles Michel: 21 March 2021

The Prime Minister spoke with President of the European Council, Charles Michel, this afternoon.

Both leaders agreed on the importance of continued close cooperation and a united UK-EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Prime Minister thanked the President of the European Council for his work on this to date.

They also condemned the barbaric attacks on civilians, including in Mariupol over the weekend, and agreed that Putin posed a grave threat to wider European security and must be stopped.

Ahead of this week’s NATO and G7 meetings, both the Prime Minister and the President of the European Council noted the importance of maintaining pressure on the Putin regime through sanctions and providing further financial assistance to the Ukrainian government.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to step-up efforts to supply additional defensive military support to Ukraine and continue to reduce the West’s reliance on Russian hydrocarbons.

The Prime Minister raised the Northern Ireland Protocol and said that solutions needed to be found in order to protect peace and stability and safeguard the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. The President of the European Council agreed to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss this issue further.