Dr Neil Hudson is MP for Penrith and The Border, a Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, and a veterinary surgeon.
Two years ago this week, the world stood in solidarity, looking at Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Unfortunately, support for Ukraine is increasingly becoming a political dividing line in the international community, from recent wrangling in the US Congress to hesitation in the European Parliament.
With the war in Ukraine, my constituents have shown that the British tradition of helping in times of crisis is alive and well. I pay tribute to people across the nation for their humbling compassion to the vulnerable folk of Ukraine, torn away from their homes by Putin. It has been heartening for me and my team to support constituents as they open their doors to so many Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, as many MPs up and down the land have done.
And people locally are demonstrating compassion not just for refugees, but those fighting for their freedom on the ground in Ukraine. The Pot Place Garden Centre team near Penrith in my constituency has delivered much-needed ambulances, medical equipment, and supplies directly to the places in Ukraine where they are needed. Then, there are individuals like Steven Hodgson, who has been working on the ground in Ukraine, working for a charity directly donating parcels to Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, as well as delivering local aid.
From the beginning, Britain has been a key ally of Ukraine. Boris Johnson and Ben Wallace started this commitment, which is being continued and bolstered by Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps. Our country has committed to over £12 billion in both military and non-military support since the war began, as well as pioneering military support in the training of Ukrainian troops here in the UK.
The recent government announcement of an 18-month extension for Ukrainian refugees whose 3 year-right to remain was expiring in Spring 2025 is so important for refugees and their sponsors, to enable them to prepare for the future and their mental health and wellbeing.
But there is still more we can do. Volunteers are a vital resource we can tap into; any promotion and support they can receive can only bolster Ukraine in its fight. The Departments for Transport and Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities have shown a willingness to work with the Mayor of London to see how 4x4s facing scrappage because of ULEZ can be donated to Ukraine. Any stalemate in finding a solution can only be of benefit to Putin. I urge the Government to continue in its efforts, and for Sadiq Khan not to put any brakes on their discussions.
Yet these changes will amount to minor cosmetic ones if our domestic compassion is not reflected in an equally compassionate response by the international community. While the complex international picture may have limited the international community’s attention and focus on the war in Ukraine, attention and focus have very much not diminished in the lives of our host communities and of course for Ukrainians themselves.
This war is quite rightly understood as a fight for freedom, democracy, and stability in Europe. But Putin’s invasion has also posed shared challenges to countries around the world including threats to national economies and industries across the globe.
I have seen first-hand as an MP the effects of the war on our hard-working farmers and our food security. Farmers across the country have faced rising costs to vital supplies including fuel, animal feed, and fertiliser, as well as concomitant shortages. Our farmers have been impacted by the fallout from the conflict since the war began and these effects, while mitigated, have not gone away.
Putin’s hand has made food security a shared problem globally; pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative has created food shortages for some of the world’s poorest countries. Likewise, the threat to shipping routes in the Red Sea by the Houthis has starkly reminded the world how important trading routes are for our food and trade security.
Perhaps more prominent in the public’s daily lives since the beginning of the war is another security that has been threatened: energy security. Putin’s weaponisation of oil and gas has not passed us by in the rising energy costs we have faced as a result. It has forced countries in the West and elsewhere to think seriously about our energy systems and sources.
Yet while the weight of these challenges speaks to the continuing need to support our allies in Ukraine, the precariousness of Ukraine’s future only increases. The aftermath of the war will bring with it an entire nation in need of reconstruction from the bottom up. The UK has truly been a leader in this reconstruction, hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023 to unlock billions in loans, including support for vital public services including schools and hospitals.
But we cannot know the scale of the need for reconstruction until the fighting ends. Only then can the international community know the true scale of Ukraine’s needs, and we must all be there to provide it.
The recent dividing line we have seen over funding for Ukraine internationally must end. After the US Presidential Election in November, the winner must continue the firm commitment to Ukraine that the USA has provided so far. Likewise, NATO’s importance cannot be overstated for the region’s security, and we must look at Ukraine’s entry into NATO as soon as possible. Such an action would send the strongest message to Putin that the world stands with Ukraine.
To be stark, the cost of Ukraine not winning this war is far too high, with threats to food and energy security globally. Increased Russian influence only worsens the international picture. We only need to look at last week’s killing of Alexei Navalny to know what Putin’s influence would mean for the people of Ukraine, as my colleague Bob Seely has outlined.
The world’s solidarity with Ukraine must be reflected right across the international community, or freedom and democracy around the world will pay the price.
Dr Neil Hudson is MP for Penrith and The Border, a Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, and a veterinary surgeon.
Two years ago this week, the world stood in solidarity, looking at Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Unfortunately, support for Ukraine is increasingly becoming a political dividing line in the international community, from recent wrangling in the US Congress to hesitation in the European Parliament.
With the war in Ukraine, my constituents have shown that the British tradition of helping in times of crisis is alive and well. I pay tribute to people across the nation for their humbling compassion to the vulnerable folk of Ukraine, torn away from their homes by Putin. It has been heartening for me and my team to support constituents as they open their doors to so many Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, as many MPs up and down the land have done.
And people locally are demonstrating compassion not just for refugees, but those fighting for their freedom on the ground in Ukraine. The Pot Place Garden Centre team near Penrith in my constituency has delivered much-needed ambulances, medical equipment, and supplies directly to the places in Ukraine where they are needed. Then, there are individuals like Steven Hodgson, who has been working on the ground in Ukraine, working for a charity directly donating parcels to Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, as well as delivering local aid.
From the beginning, Britain has been a key ally of Ukraine. Boris Johnson and Ben Wallace started this commitment, which is being continued and bolstered by Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps. Our country has committed to over £12 billion in both military and non-military support since the war began, as well as pioneering military support in the training of Ukrainian troops here in the UK.
The recent government announcement of an 18-month extension for Ukrainian refugees whose 3 year-right to remain was expiring in Spring 2025 is so important for refugees and their sponsors, to enable them to prepare for the future and their mental health and wellbeing.
But there is still more we can do. Volunteers are a vital resource we can tap into; any promotion and support they can receive can only bolster Ukraine in its fight. The Departments for Transport and Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities have shown a willingness to work with the Mayor of London to see how 4x4s facing scrappage because of ULEZ can be donated to Ukraine. Any stalemate in finding a solution can only be of benefit to Putin. I urge the Government to continue in its efforts, and for Sadiq Khan not to put any brakes on their discussions.
Yet these changes will amount to minor cosmetic ones if our domestic compassion is not reflected in an equally compassionate response by the international community. While the complex international picture may have limited the international community’s attention and focus on the war in Ukraine, attention and focus have very much not diminished in the lives of our host communities and of course for Ukrainians themselves.
This war is quite rightly understood as a fight for freedom, democracy, and stability in Europe. But Putin’s invasion has also posed shared challenges to countries around the world including threats to national economies and industries across the globe.
I have seen first-hand as an MP the effects of the war on our hard-working farmers and our food security. Farmers across the country have faced rising costs to vital supplies including fuel, animal feed, and fertiliser, as well as concomitant shortages. Our farmers have been impacted by the fallout from the conflict since the war began and these effects, while mitigated, have not gone away.
Putin’s hand has made food security a shared problem globally; pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative has created food shortages for some of the world’s poorest countries. Likewise, the threat to shipping routes in the Red Sea by the Houthis has starkly reminded the world how important trading routes are for our food and trade security.
Perhaps more prominent in the public’s daily lives since the beginning of the war is another security that has been threatened: energy security. Putin’s weaponisation of oil and gas has not passed us by in the rising energy costs we have faced as a result. It has forced countries in the West and elsewhere to think seriously about our energy systems and sources.
Yet while the weight of these challenges speaks to the continuing need to support our allies in Ukraine, the precariousness of Ukraine’s future only increases. The aftermath of the war will bring with it an entire nation in need of reconstruction from the bottom up. The UK has truly been a leader in this reconstruction, hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023 to unlock billions in loans, including support for vital public services including schools and hospitals.
But we cannot know the scale of the need for reconstruction until the fighting ends. Only then can the international community know the true scale of Ukraine’s needs, and we must all be there to provide it.
The recent dividing line we have seen over funding for Ukraine internationally must end. After the US Presidential Election in November, the winner must continue the firm commitment to Ukraine that the USA has provided so far. Likewise, NATO’s importance cannot be overstated for the region’s security, and we must look at Ukraine’s entry into NATO as soon as possible. Such an action would send the strongest message to Putin that the world stands with Ukraine.
To be stark, the cost of Ukraine not winning this war is far too high, with threats to food and energy security globally. Increased Russian influence only worsens the international picture. We only need to look at last week’s killing of Alexei Navalny to know what Putin’s influence would mean for the people of Ukraine, as my colleague Bob Seely has outlined.
The world’s solidarity with Ukraine must be reflected right across the international community, or freedom and democracy around the world will pay the price.