VRU awards British parliamentarian for his special service to Ukraine
30 July 2019, 14:30
The said award was presented during his recent visit to Kyiv, where he served as an international observer in the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada.
John Whittingdale is a great friend of Ukraine. He has made great efforts to create cleared conditions for and harmonize relations between the parliaments of Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Since July 2017, when he was re-elected the group’s head, J. Whittingdale has initiated dozens of urgent debates, statements and public reactions from the UK leadership to support Ukraine in the context of confronting the Russian aggression and in economic, cultural and humanitarian areas as well.
With the support of J. Whittingdale, the support to Ukraine, the war in the East of our country, the increase in British technical and military assistance, the continuation of sanctions against the Russian Federation have always been raised at the highest quarters and broached by senior British government authorities.
He also pays considerable attention to overcoming the humanitarian consequences of the Russian aggression in the Donbas, in particular, to psychological and emotional rehabilitation of children of Ukrainian servicemen and IDPs, and facilitates their visits to the UK.
As head of the Friendship Group with Ukraine, John Whittingdale has often visited Ukraine even in times of the greatest threats and challenges. With his assistance, there was held an emergency debate in the UK Parliament on the situation in Ukraine caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation in the Sea of Azov, were undertaken a number of initiatives to revise visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens, and was brought up the issue of recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide against the people of Ukraine.