Last week, President Zelenskyy, the leader of Ukraine, visited the UK and addressed Parliament. He also met both the King and the Prime Minister.
Next week will mark one year since the start of the appalling Russian invasion of Ukraine. Few expected the Ukrainians to be so successful at repelling the Russian attack. It had initially been expected that, in the face of such overwhelming force, the invasion would be over in a matter of weeks but the bravery and tenacity of the people of Ukraine and, most of all, the bravery of their soldiers has been extraordinary.
While Ukraine is not a member of NATO and we, therefore, have not intervened directly, it is essential that we do everything we can to help the country defend itself against such unprovoked aggression. Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory. This includes 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months. The UK will provide training to a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year.
We have also provided vital equipment throughout the conflict to help level the odds in favour of Ukraine. Early in this included high-tech anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft missiles to defend against air attacks. More recently we have pledged to send Challenger 2 tanks. Ukrainian troops recently arrived in the UK to be trained to use them. Other countries have also followed with the United States deciding to send Abrams tanks and advanced Bradley fighting vehicles, while the Germans and other European states will be sending Leopard 2 tanks. These weapons will not only give Ukraine the ability to defend its country but to also retake the land currently occupied by Russian forces.
The terrible loss of life caused by this unnecessary war is a tragedy. Putin has used the same sorts of tactics in Ukraine as he did in Syria showing a total disregard for civilian casualties with air strikes taking place in civilian areas. He has also shown a total disregard for the lives of his own soldiers with very high casualties on the Russian side. At some point when the war is over, it will be important to achieve reconciliation and to do that we must distinguish between President Putin and the Russian people. President Putin's regime has been on a bad and destructive path for many years now showing total disrespect for his own people as well as those in neighbouring countries. Protestors against the war have been imprisoned for sham offences, Russian opposition politicians have also been put in prison while some critics have even been killed. But for now, Ukraine needs our immediate support to deal with the current attacks on it with the MOD already reporting that Putin has launched a spring offence early.
