Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Ukraine: International Support

Tuesday 21 June 2022 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Anna Firth inquired about recent discussions on support for Ukraine, emphasizing the need for more weapons and sanctions against Russia.
  • Anna Firth confirmed the UK's commitment to sanctioning individuals supporting Putin's war, including Patriarch Kirill, and vowed to continue this pressure.
  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown highlighted the urgent need to address the storage issue for Ukraine's grain harvest to prevent it from being used as a weapon by Russia.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Anna Firth
Ukraine
Context

Discussions on international support for Ukraine, focusing on military aid and sanctions.

Question

What recent discussions has she had with her international counterparts on support for Ukraine?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

It is vital that we continue to back Ukraine. This is about freedom and democracy in Ukraine, and it is also about freedom and democracy in Europe and across the world. That is why we are determined to provide more weapons, impose more sanctions and back Ukraine in pushing Russia out of its territory.

Answered
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Q2 Anna Firth
Ukraine
Context

Discussion on sanctions targeting individuals supporting the war in Ukraine, including Patriarch Kirill.

Question

I am pleased that my right hon. Friend mentioned sanctions. Last week she announced a new wave of sanctions, including against Patriarch Kirill, a very public and vocal supporter of Putin's war. Can she confirm that we will continue to put pressure not just on Putin but on his supporters until Putin fails and Ukraine succeeds?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am proud that the United Kingdom has sanctioned more individuals than any other nation. We have to keep increasing that pressure. Last week we sanctioned Patriarch Kirill, and we also sanctioned the Russian children's rights commissioner, who has been involved in the barbaric treatment of Ukrainian children. We will continue to impose sanctions and to stop importing goods from Russia until we see Russia fully withdraw from Ukraine.

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Q3 Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North
Ukraine Defence Foreign Affairs
Context

Discussion on the adequacy of UK's military resources to support allies in the face of increased security threats from Russia.

Question

The new head of the Army was very clear this week when he said that the UK must be “capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle.” Does the Foreign Secretary believe that our defence capability, which is a key arm of UK foreign policy, has all the resources it needs to do that?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

It is very true that we face a much more insecure Europe and a much more insecure world, and it is right that we are increasing defence spending. We are increasing our capabilities, particularly in areas such as cyber, but we are also making sure that we have fully trained and efficient armed services, not just to be ready but to ensure that we are training up Ukrainians, for example, and helping our allies, particularly on the eastern flank, who face that direct threat from Russia.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific resource requirements were not addressed in detail.

How: We Are Increasing Defence Spending

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Q4 Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Con North Cotswolds
Ukraine Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concern over the potential loss of Ukraine's grain harvest due to storage issues and Russian interference.

Question

The harvest in Ukraine is going to have to start in the next few weeks. The problem is that there are 25 million tonnes of old crop filling up all the stores, so there will be nowhere to put the new crop. It will have to be piled on the fields, and the Russians will seize it and use it as a weapon of war to buy influence around the world. What more can my right hon. Friend do to ensure that there is international passage for that grain out of Odesa and other ports?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We are doing all we can to secure the export of that very important grain from Ukraine. My hon. Friend is right to say that we have only a number of weeks to be able to achieve that. We are backing the UN plan, but we are also doing what we can with our allies to provide safe passage and to make sure that Odesa is fully defended. Tomorrow, I will be travelling to Turkey to talk to people there about how we could do more to get the grain out of Odesa.

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Q5 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Ukraine Foreign Affairs
Context

Discussion on the importance of strategic diplomatic support for Ukraine's neighbouring countries.

Question

Part of any diplomatic support for Ukraine must include a strategic diplomatic support package for Ukraine's neighbours in Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. When I spoke to the Polish Defence Secretary a couple of months ago, he detailed what he felt was a very lonely station on the frontline beside Ukraine. Will the Foreign Secretary update us on how he may not feel that way now?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We are working very closely with Poland on our joint defence support, and we are working with Poland and Ukraine on helping Ukraine get NATO-standard weapons. We are also backing Poland, our Baltic state friends and others, including Moldova, particularly through NATO and the bolstering of the eastern flank. We have the NATO summit coming up next week and the UK is pushing hard for more support in the eastern area of Europe.

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