The co-chair of the UK-Ukraine parliamentary friendship group Svitlana Zalishchuk clued in on the debates over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the House of Peers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which had taken place on December 17, 2018
In attendance, there were members of the House from the
ruling party and the outs. The government was represented by the Minister of
State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, the Prime Minister’s Special
Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief Lord Ahmad.
The focus of the debate was on Ukraine’s security situation. It was stated that Russia had substantially increased its military presence alongside the border with Ukraine and destabilized the situation, including economy.
The members of the House of Lords urged the British government to develop a clear aid strategy for helping Ukraine stop the Russian Federation’s aggression and to strengthen NATO's military presence in the Black Sea region. A special emphasis was placed on violations of human rights in the Crimea and in the occupied territories of the Donbas.
At the same time, it was stressed that there are few reasons today for the sanctions to be extended, since there are a number of states, e.g. German politicians, who do oppose such a decision.
In turn, the representatives of the British government stressed that they would continue to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Lord Ahmad condemned the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, and also criticized the recent illegal elections in the occupied Donbas, as well as the Nord Stream 2 project, concerns about which the British side had expressed to the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany earlier.
He also confirmed that the UK defence minister is out to make another visit to Ukraine in the near future.
The British side continues to discuss within the EU "certain real steps, including sanctions" to be ensuing from the events in the Kerch Strait. It is important to note that during the debate it was reported that in the near future a Royal Navy ship would come into the port of Odesa.
According to S. Zalischuk, in Ukraine there is a delegation of members of the British friendship group who slate to make a visit to eastern Ukraine, in company with S.Zalishchuk and O. Riabchyna, MPs.