Andrea Jenkyns MP: Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine

Andrea Jenkyns MP writes: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a clear violation of national sovereignty and demonstrated the depravity of the Russian regime.

President Putin appears hell-bent on occupation, despite the protests of the Ukrainian people and the warnings of the international community.

With this has come all the familiar and unwelcome horrors of war; the final human cost of this conflict is, as yet, unknown.

Every death is a tragedy and our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those injured or killed.

Our communities, across Morley and Outwood, have been deeply inspired by the leadership of President Zelenskyy, which has personified the dogged determination and resolve of the Ukrainian nation, and her people.

To watch, first-hand, as President Zelenskyy made the unprecedented step of addressing the House of Commons, I was both moved and proud to see the solidarity that exists across Parliament for the cause of freedom.

We have all seen harrowing footage, shared across social media, showing the indiscriminate bombing of Ukrainian towns and cities by Russian forces; and the death and destruction that has been left in the wake of this aggression.

As a mother, I was moved to tears hearing survivor testimony from the Mariupol Maternity Hospital, where three died and 17 were injured, following a Russian airstrike.

These images bring back the carnage of the Bosnian War, continental Europe’s last major conflict; with tanks rolling through the streets and militaries engaged in ground warfare; among the homes and schools that were, until recently, filled with happy families and carefree children.

I have been working to support constituents who have loved ones living or working in Ukraine – and who wish to come to the UK under the government’s emergency support programs.

I am pleased that this system is being routinely streamlined, by the Home Secretary, to ensure that those in greatest need can be served at their first point of contact.

I am proud of our government’s leadership on the world stage, standing alone at first, but firm and resolute in our push for strong measures against Russia.

It was an independent and global Britain that did not hesitate to provide hundreds of millions of pounds in aid, to push for the toughest sanctions on the Russian State and its leadership, and to sanction more Russian assets than either the US or the EU – despite contrary and misleading reports at the time.

Our brave servicemen and women continue to provide technical training to Ukrainian ground forces, allowing them to use weaponry funded and provided by the UK government for the defence of a free Ukraine.

Last week, I was honoured to be able to sign the Book of Solidarity for Ukraine, in Parliament, on behalf of those living across Morley and Outwood.

Our hopes of a peaceful future for the people of Ukraine are matched by our prayers for their safety and security.

Slava Ukraini!