Hearing President Zelenskyy’s moving and unprecedented speech in the House of Commons highlighted the Ukrainian people’s great bravery and courage in the face of President Putin's naked aggression. My thoughts, along with those of many local residents, are with the Ukrainian people in these dark days.
The UK Government is rightly committed to supporting Ukraine in its defence of freedom. Ministers have been very clear that there will be severe consequences for Russian military intervention. They have launched a comprehensive package of sanctions developed with our international partners to ensure the Russian economy feels their impact, and the UK continues to send military support to the Ukrainian war effort.
We also have a duty to provide humanitarian support for Ukrainian civilian’s affected by the war. As Ukraine’s largest bilateral humanitarian donor, the UK is providing almost £400 million in aid alongside defensive support.
The Government’s Ukrainian Family Scheme confirms that British nationals and people settled in the UK with parents, grandparents, adult children and siblings from Ukraine will be able to bring their extended family members to the UK. The Government is also establishing a humanitarian sponsorship pathway, allowing individuals, charities, businesses and community groups to support displaced Ukrainians.
I have spoken to Home Office Ministers about plans to further speed up and improve our visa application systems over the days ahead, building on steps to enable Ukrainians with passports to submit applications to come to the UK online.
It’s good to see the generous donations that organisers of Macclesfield Ukrainian Aid Collection Point are receiving from local residents. Attending the packed concert at St Michael’s Church, Macclesfield on Friday featuring Ukrainian pianist Ivan Hovorun and raising funds for people in Ukraine was a real honour. Let’s do all that we can to show them our strong support – Slava Ukraini!