The UK and US have no closer ally than one another. Nowhere has this been more clear than in our resolute response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The ‘Special Relationship’ has been vital in supporting Ukraine in its brave fight for freedom. The UK, for our personal part, has proven its continued international leadership role as the second largest contributor of military assistance to Ukraine and as one of the most influential members of NATO. It is a record we should be proud of.

Our shared defence cooperation has been at the fore in the year since the invasion, but we should not forget that our shared foreign policy objectives and interests go far beyond that too. The primary victims of the invasion are the people of Ukraine, but the consequences of the war of aggression have been global. It has exposed the volatility of the global gas market and especially the reliance of many European countries on Russian gas, allowing Putin to weaponise energy. Through increased costs in key commodities like grain, fertiliser and fuel, Russia has also inflicted huge costs on many of the world’s poorest countries where food accounts for nearly half of household budgets.

Putin fails to claim responsibility but it is his illegal war which has resulted in thousands of deaths in Ukraine, economic hardship far beyond it and, as the UN has estimated, tens of millions more people living in extreme poverty globally. If we let up in our efforts with our allies and partners to counteract these effects, the risk is that they will have a destabilising effect, triggering political crises and potentially waves of mass migration, akin to the one caused by the fall-out from the Arab Spring. The costs of dealing with that kind of crisis are far higher than the costs we are otherwise paying, via supporting our friends and allies and playing our part in securing as rapid a Ukrainian victory as possible.

The UK should remain at the front of the pack by leading by example and continuing to share its military hardware with our Ukrainian friends. This was very clearly what President Zelensky asked for when he came to give his historic address in Parliament and he was very grateful of that support so far. It is also vital that we continue our extensive diplomacy across NATO, working with like-minded countries to raise the collective level of ambition through initiatives like the UK Joint Expeditionary Force. Working in lock-step with the US will be crucial in all that we do.

No other two countries have shown the level of commitment or ability to act in the way that we have, and I’m proud that the Ukrainian people are encouraged by this, with the UK and US topping the list of countries they felt had most supported them.

The costs of dealing with that kind of crisis are far higher than the costs we are otherwise paying, via supporting our friends and allies and playing our part in securing as rapid a Ukrainian victory as possible.

While doing this, however, we must not neglect the global consequences of the war. This too, must be a close area of cooperation with the US and other allies if we are to ensure that Russia’s broader efforts to undermine the West are as unsuccessful as his efforts to destroy a free and independent Ukraine.