Russia: Ukraine
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent Russia from continuing its invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine is a gross breach of international law and the UN Charter and directly threatens Euro-Atlantic security. The UK remains fully committed to working with our international partners to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and stop future Russian aggression. We have been clear that Putin must stop his barbaric attacks on innocent civilians and agree an unconditional ceasefire. Our focus is putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations.
To that end, we have worked with our G7 partners to implement the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans to Ukraine scheme. The UK is contributing £2.26 billion earmarked for military spending, and the first two of three payments were made in March and April, enabling Ukraine to procure the equipment it needs to stay in the fight.
We are also working with partners to increase the economic pressure on Putin, to hinder Russia's ability to wage war and bring Putin to the table to agree an enduring ceasefire and to engage in meaningful peace talks. In May, we announced our largest ever sanctions package targeting Russia's shadow fleet and a further package of over 100 targets from Russia's financial and energy sectors, and its military industrial complex, amongst others. Sanctions have deprived Russia of at least $450 billion since February 2022 restricting Putin's war machine and degrading his military.
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