Support for Ukraine

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

The UK has been at the forefront of diplomatic, economic, humanitarian and defensive support to Ukraine. The UK was the first European country to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, and my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary is convening a group of countries to do more of that. We are the largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including with our largest ever UK Aid Match contribution to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, which has now raised more than £100 million.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

What is happening in Ukraine is simply abhorrent. Our current priority is supporting Ukraine through humanitarian aid. We are donating £220 million of humanitarian aid, which is the leading figure in the world. That will be used to save lives and protect vulnerable people. However, I will listen to my hon. Friend's suggestion and see what we can do on that front, because we need to do all we can to address this horrendous humanitarian crisis.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

My hon. Friend is right: nothing is off the table. We have been and are working with G7 partners, whom we want to see go further in areas such as a complete ban on SWIFT and the complete freezing of all bank assets, and by committing to a timetable for reducing dependency on oil and gas because, fundamentally, Russia is a state propped up by the oil and gas industry and, to really tackle the funding for Putin's war machine, we need to cut off that funding stream.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We have deployed humanitarian teams to neighbouring countries—Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova—and they are working closely with local agencies. We have put a record sum into the DEC appeal, which is generating massive donations from the British public. It is important that, rather than donate goods, the public are encouraged to donate cash to the DEC appeal or other trusted charities and aid organisations. The Polish Government have said that donations in kind generate disproportionate amounts of additional work and costs, which prove ineffective and counterproductive to the needs of those affected, so I strongly encourage people to donate financially to the DEC appeal. That is the best way to get funding through to the brave aid workers on the frontline.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

The United Kingdom is the No. 1 donor of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, with £220 million, and we are doing more than any other country on medical support, with the sixth flight of medical supplies having gone out to Ukraine last night. I assure my hon. Friend that Foreign Office teams and Ministry of Defence teams are actively supporting efforts to get very ill children out of Ukraine so that they can get the medical support they need.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We can all see how terrible the situation is, with 2 million people fleeing Ukraine. As I have outlined, we are providing humanitarian assistance. We are providing Ukrainians with access to basic necessities and vital medical supplies, as people are forced to flee their homes. We will continue to work with our friends and allies throughout Europe to deliver as much as we can to those in need.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We have established a cross-Government taskforce to enforce the laws that we are putting in place on oligarchs. It is important to know that the legislation that we passed yesterday will reduce the amount of bureaucracy required to sanction oligarchs. That will help us to target our resources better across Government, so that we can focus more of our efforts on enforcement.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

The BBC is important in communicating with Russian audiences, given years of disinformation. We are working with social media companies and established a cross-Government unit for direct communication in Russian. Sanctions send messages through queues and restricted services, aiding our message that the war is fought in Russians' name.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We work closely with allies on evidence collection. The Justice Secretary is visiting The Hague to discuss this further and praised British journalists for their work in collecting evidence.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

The Chancellor has discussed debt cancellation with G7 Finance Ministers. We support Ukraine financially to resist Russian aggression and rebuild post-invasion.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We learned from past mistakes and are leading with sanctions, support for Ukrainian resistance. The Home Secretary opened new visa centres, a family route, and a sponsored humanitarian route.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

New visa centres, 24/7 helpline, and a surgery for MPs are available. We lead in humanitarian aid with £220 million and help local settlements.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We have opened up two new routes: a family route and a sponsored humanitarian route. We are also providing huge support in the region, working closely with the Ukrainian Government and local Governments such as the Polish Government.