On 28 September 2026, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Labour Party conference that Britain must once more stand up for the values of democracy and the International Rule of Law.
On 26 September Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also spoke about International Law when he addressed the UN General Assembly.
So – does common ground potentially exist which could be explored through Diplomacy i.e. because both the UK and Russia share a common interest – the survival of the International Rule of Law?
While Ed Miliband and Sergey Lavrov hold starkly contradictory views on who is violating global norms, their rhetoric reveals a narrow framework where diplomatic dialogue remains theoretically possible:
1. Codified International Law over Arbitrary Rules
The Common Ground: Both leaders explicitly appeal to the authority of established international law rather than unilateral actions.
The Diplomatic Leverage: Diplomacy can focus on strictly codified treaties, UN resolutions, and sovereign equality, which both sides claim to defend, rather than fluid concepts like the Western-defined ‘rules-based international order’ which Russia explicitly rejects.
2. The Principle of Sovereign Equality
The Common Ground: Both speeches heavily emphasize that the independence and sovereignty of nations must be respected under international law.
The Diplomatic Leverage: While they disagree entirely on the application – Miliband views Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the ultimate violation of sovereignty, while Lavrov views Western interference and sanctions as violations of sovereignty – the underlying principle remains the mutually accepted baseline for any text-based negotiation.
3. Prevention of Unilateral Aggression and War Crimes
The Common Ground: Both leaders used their platforms to condemn actions that bypass international consensus, such as illegal occupations, extrajudicial actions, and war crimes.
The Diplomatic Leverage: In areas outside their direct conflict – such as seeking stability or humanitarian compliance in the Middle East – both nations voice a shared vocabulary regarding the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law and the condemnation of unlawful settlements or occupations.
Other issues in common to explore within a wider framework of Diplomatic dialogue include:
(i) Climate change & global food production.
(ii) Energy sources – i.e. ending the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East – linked to the Sovereignty of Palestine & justice.
(iii) Market access – linked to transitioning peacefully to a multipolar world order in which the UK and Europe will become partners with the Global South and East – i.e. BRICS.
(iv) Reforming the UN and its security, judicial and conflict resolution institutions.
(v) Fighting international organised crime including human trafficking – linked to unlawful immigration.