What an honour and privilege it was to listen to President Zelensky in parliament on Wednesday.
He spoke movingly in Westminster Hall of his country’s fighters against the Russian invasion and of the UK’s staunch support. This is a man who has become the symbol of resistance against tyranny and is very much a 21st century Churchill in deeds and words who commands respect wherever he goes.
This personal brand gets results and the president made it clear he needs more arms, training and equipment to win the war. In his meeting with the Prime Minister, this was made urgently clear, and Rishi Sunak was equally clear that we will continue to help and expand that help. The UK has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine since the invasion nearly a year ago.
We have given much to help. We have trained 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers here and some are now learning to operate the Challenger 2 tanks we have given and they will be on the battlefield in a matter of weeks. We continue to give arms, aid and ammunition too.
But the people of this country, of Eastbourne and Willingdon and across East Sussex have given too – their homes to shelter those fleeing the war. I would like to thank those people for their continued support. So far, 1634 Ukrainians have been housed in our county and many of them have been welcomed in Eastbourne. The latest figures show the majority remain with their original host families whilst others have moved into private rented accommodation after securing jobs or training.
I know discussions have started with the Ukrainian community here on how to mark the one year since the invasion on 24th February. That will be a sombre time as so many civilians there continue to suffer missile attacks and water and electricity shortages while soldiers man trenches in echoes of the First World War.
I know those Ukrainians miss their country and their loved ones. I also know the UK’s continued support is a huge source of comfort and strength.
