West Can’t Afford to Drop the Ball on Ukraine, U.K. Foreign Secretary Says

Russia’s withdrawal from a United Nations-backed deal to allow Ukrainian grain exports shows why Moscow must be defeated in the war—otherwise, the world will face even greater economic disruption that will fall disproportionately on the poorest, the U.K.’s foreign secretary said in an interview.

“We’ve got to recognize that if we drop the ball on this, if we allow [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to win, the pain that we’re experiencing at the moment economically will pale into insignificance,” James Cleverly told The Wall Street Journal during a visit to New York, where the U.K. holds the monthlong presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

Cleverly said the initial rise in global grain prices on Moscow’s withdrawal from the pact “hits the poorest people hardest—and that is an indication of the kind of behavior we will see from Russia if we don’t follow through on the commitments we made to the Ukrainian people.”

Russia said Monday that it was pulling out of the international agreement that allowed Ukraine to resume much of its Black Sea grain exports, saying it would rejoin if its demands are met. Those include facilitating its own food and fertilizer exports, which have been hampered by international sanctions.

Cleverly also said that the recent meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Vilnius, Lithuania—which frustrated Ukraine by not spelling out a timetable for Kyiv’s membership in the alliance—achieved a significant but little-noticed milestone by removing one of the usual steps in advance of accession.

NATO members withdrew the requirement for Ukraine to complete a Membership Action Plan of advice and assistance that is usually a precursor to a decision on whether to admit a new member.

He said Ukraine’s record of adaptability and success on the battlefield over the course of the 17-month war, including adopting NATO equipment and doctrine, show it can address reforms, such as rooting out corruption, that it will need to join NATO.

He acknowledged, however, that NATO accession while the war continues wouldn’t be feasible given the alliance’s Article 5 mutual-defense treaty. It requires NATO members to treat an incursion on one member’s territory as an attack on all, which could in theory put Western troops on Ukraine’s front lines, a scenario the U.S. and its allies have studiously avoided while sending Ukraine billions of dollars in weapons and economic assistance.

The U.K. has been one of Kyiv’s most stalwart supporters. It has at times pushed for new weapons such as main battle tanks and long-range missiles that the U.S. has been reluctant to be the first to provide, for fear of provoking an escalation from Moscow and to maintain unity among more reticent European allies.

That has given the U.K. a prominent role in the West’s response despite its economy continuing to be hindered by inflation, supply-chain bottlenecks in the wake of the country’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union and the Covid-19 pandemic. Britain ranks very low on forecasts for economic growth this year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Cleverly acknowledged that keeping the European and American public in support of the war is a challenge the longer the conflict lasts. There is concern in London, especially, of increased American wariness as the November 2024 political campaign heats up and some Republicans in Congress call for scaling back support.

The U.K. on Monday announced 14 new sanctions in response to Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukrainian national identity and Moscow’s involvement in what the British government called the forced deportation of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children.

“We’ve got to get our heads around the fact that Ukrainians are making progress—they are making progress every day,” Cleverly said, even though Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive has advanced slowly and without any major breakthroughs so far.

“That’s why they deserve our ongoing support because they are making the most of the help we are giving them,” he said. “We better show the world that we’ve got what it takes.”

—Max Colchester contributed to this article.

Write to Paul Beckett at [email protected]