Putin’s use of the Ukrainian people as political pawns, including innocent children is barbaric and disgusting. It has been completely heart-breaking to see the images emerging over the last couple of weeks. Russia’s invasion of a sovereign and democratic Ukraine was unprovoked and completely unjustified. The ongoing military attack on Ukrainian people is shocking and deeply horrific to witness. I stand in total solidarity with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine during this dark time. On Tuesday 8th March, President Zelenskyy gave a passionate live address via video link to the House of Commons, becoming the first foreign leader to have addressed the Commons directly. It was a very moving moment indeed.
Putin is nothing but a war criminal, and he and his regime must fail.
The UK Government has been co-operating with the rest of its allies in the international community with the united aim of making Vladimir Putin feel the full consequences of his actions. It is absolutely vital that Putin fails in his endeavours, which is why the Government have imposed the United Kingdom’s toughest ever Russian sanctions, which will hit the Russian economy hard. These sanctions have already started to have an impact. The UK’s response has been co-ordinated and united with other major western powers, and below is a summary of the actions taken to date:
• The UK has frozen £258 billion worth of assets in Russian banks with immediate effect, including state-owned VTB, Russia’s largest bank. No country in the world has frozen more money in assets than the UK.
• Russian companies have been prevented from borrowing on the UK markets.
• Alongside our partners in the US, EU, Japan and Canada, we have cut off Russia’s Central Bank from our financial markets.
• Trade and export controls against Russia have been expanded, and the UK has banned the export of critical technical equipment and components in the electronics, telecommunications and aerospace sectors.
• The UK is also personally sanctioning President Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for their role in the invasion of Ukraine, as well as over 1,000 of Russia and Belarus' most significant and high-value individuals, entities, and subsidiaries.
• Russia's national airline (Aeroflot) has been banned from UK airspace.
• Banned many of Russia's key banks from using the SWIFT.
• Imposing sanctions on Belarus who has been complicit in the invasion of Russia by allowing Russian troops to breach Ukraine through its borders.
• The UK will be phasing out all imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022, cutting off a key source of funding for Putin’s war-chest in a manner that ensures UK businesses and consumers are not affected.
The UK Government is also committed to helping Ukrainians on the ground by providing defence support to the Ukrainian Military. This includes continuing to work with international partners to supply vital weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Lethal aid intended for defensive means will now be provided to Ukraine, as well as over 4,200 light, anti-armour weapons for defensive use against Russian tanks, as well as a small number of UK personnel who provided initial training to Ukrainian military personnel. On 24th March, the Prime Minister, at a meeting comprised of NATO and G7 Leaders, announced that the UK will be providing an additional 6,000 anti-tank missiles and £25 million for the Ukrainian military. This will more than double the defensive lethal aid that the UK has provided so far, to more than 10,000 missiles.
I know that many people are concerned for those Ukrainian refugees who have been displaced by this conflict. As of 15th March, it is estimated that around 4 million Ukrainians have sought refuge out of Ukraine. In response to this, the Government has appointed a new Refugees Minister to coordinate support for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Richard Harrington has been appointed Minister for Refugees at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and the Home Office to coordinate and accelerate our support for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Putin’s war.
On 8th March, during questions in the House of Commons, I personally asked the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, how the UK Government is going to fully assist those who have fled from Ukraine so far, humanitarianly. Using real-time analysis of needs on the ground, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has deployed Humanitarian Teams in Poland, Romania and Moldova, and the Emergency Medical Team has been deployed in Romania and Moldova. They are assessing, by the hour, how best the UK can provide health expertise and humanitarian support. Should the humanitarian crisis continue to deteriorate, the Government is fully prepared to send 1000 British soldiers to provide humanitarian support.
I know that the Government thus far has committed to sending at least £400 million for humanitarian and economic assistance. I believe it to be highly likely that this will increase in the coming days and weeks. The funding will help aid agencies better manage the ever-worsening humanitarian situation, providing Ukrainians in need with access to basic necessities and medical supplies such as medicines, syringes, dressings and wound care packs. The UK Government has thus far donated over 3.7 million items of medical supplies to Ukraine – including 300,000 sterile needles, 32,000 bandages, 160,000 wound packs, and 220,000 packs of medicine. Our work with aid agencies has seen the Ukraine Appeal raise £100 million from the general public, with the Government matching £25 million, or one quarter, of the public’s donations thus far. This constitutes the FCDO’s largest ever aid-match contribution. We have also donated more than 500 mobile generators to Ukraine, providing much needed energy to essential facilities including hospitals, shelters and water treatment plants.
Funding is also in place to reduce Ukraine’s reliance on Russian energy with the aim of protecting the country against any threats of cutting the supply. This comes on top of the $500 million worth of loans that the UK has already guaranteed to the Ukrainian Government, which will be provided through the Multilateral Development Bank and will help Ukraine’s economy to remain resilient in the face of aggression.
Currently, most Ukrainians who have left their homeland have predominantly travelled to the neighbouring countries of Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. In recognition of this, the UK has opened Visa Application Centres in:
• Budapest, Hungary
• Chisinau, Moldova
• Rzeszow, Poland (temporary)
• Warsaw, Poland
• Bucharest, Romania
• Paris, France
Having spoken to my ministerial colleagues in the Home Office, the Government has relaxed the rules for Ukrainian family members of Settled persons or British Nationals to come to, or remain in, the UK even when they would otherwise not meet the core requirements of the family rules. The changes to the immigration rules will come into force from 15th March, and the application process, which has been specifically designed to manage this crisis as effectively as possible, opened on Friday 4th March. Ukrainians with a passport don’t need to visit an Application Centre to provide biometrics before coming to the UK. Instead, passport holders are able to complete the application digitally, relieving pressure on visa processing centres and ensuring that those who are unable to make it to any Visa Application Centres will still be able to seek refuge in the UK.
Those who successfully apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme, intended for immediate and extended family members of UK Citizens, will be granted leave for three years with the right to work or study and access to UK public services. The Scheme is free of charge and has no minimum standard requirements for income or English proficiency. I am assured that there is no upper limit to the number of people that can enter through this scheme, and it is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands at least. At least 9,500 visas have been issued so far.
Additionally, there is to be a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can… sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK, providing sanctuary to those Ukrainians who have been wrongfully displaced by Putin’s illegal occupation of Ukraine. Ukrainians who are already on work, study or visit visas in the UK will have their visas temporarily extended or be able to switch onto different visa routes, providing them with a guarantee of security and safety in the UK.
With regards to offers of donations of money or goods to help those in need, here are some links below which you may be interested in.
I do know that many in the Ukrainian community have been asking for people to donate money, rather than goods due to the complexity of storage and transportation to the Ukraine etc. The link offered to the fund-raising site is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpukraine-emergency-appeal
There is also further information on how you can help on the gov.uk website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukraine-what-you-can-do-to-help
In respect of offers of housing, these should be sent to Maria Philburn at [email protected]. You can also email Migration Yorkshire directly. The email address is: [email protected].
Please note that the Government advises those making donations that donating cash through trusted charities and aid organisations is generally preferred to donating goods. This is because cash, by nature, travels more quickly and organisations can purchase items according to necessity on the ground. If you are donating goods, please do make sure that they are requested by the organisation you are planning to send them to.
My colleagues in Government are encouraging anybody who wants to host a Ukrainian family, to do so. Under the new scheme, people in the UK will be able to nominate an individual or family to stay with them rent-free, or in another property, for at least six months. Each UK Host Family will receive £350 per month as a thank you from the UK Government. Host families are not expected to provide dinners, although they are more than welcome to do so.
Someone is eligible for the scheme if they are a Ukrainian national, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national and were resident in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022. As with the other visa schemes, Ukrainians will be able to live and work in the UK for up to three years with access to healthcare, benefits, employment support, education, and English language tuition.
To date, more than 130,000 Britons have offered up their homes to Ukrainian refugees. If you have space in your home and are willing to accommodate a Ukrainian family, please register your interest online: https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/
I must stress that this is a fluid situation, and as the situation on the ground continues to change, so too will the UK’s response. I am receiving daily briefs by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office, and I will be sure to update you with any changes.
Thank you again for contacting me. Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
