Support for Ukraine

Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr David Lammy, what steps the government is taking to support Ukraine. Mr Lammy responded that at the recent NATO conference, all nations reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine, and that the government welcomed President Zelensky's address to the Cabinet. In a follow-up, Dame Caroline Dinenage acknowledged the government's provision of military and humanitarian aid, but expressed concern that it may not be enough to secure long-term peace. She asked Mr Lammy to reassure her that the UK will stand by Ukraine and support their efforts to bring the war to a conclusion through peace talks. Mr Lammy welcomed the Ukrainians' desire for peace summits and stated that the best way to achieve peace is for Russia to withdraw, while reiterating the government's commitment to standing with Ukraine, which he said is a cross-party issue. Paul Holmes, the Conservative MP for Hamble Valley, then intervened, welcoming the new government team and asking the Secretary of State to reassure the House that the government is working to ensure that the £2 billion generated from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reaches those in desperate need of humanitarian assistance due to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Mr Lammy acknowledged that this is an ongoing and complex issue, and stated that the government is endeavouring to do its best to address it at pace, while unpicking much that happened under the previous government.