International development committee urges humanitarian assistance if Russia invades Ukraine

The chair of the international development select committee has urged for a “full range” of humanitarian assistance should a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine take place.

Her comments follow the launch of an effective invasion of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions yesterday evening as Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered tanks across the border into provinces he officially recognised as independent from Ukraine on Monday afternoon.

Chair Sarah Champion MP, made the following statement about the situation: “I am gravely concerned about the situation in Ukraine and the potential for a further escalation to create a serious and protracted humanitarian crisis in the country.

“The United Nations said there were nearly three million people in humanitarian need in Eastern Ukraine even before the developments of the last 24 hours. The needs in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene, the UN said, ‘remain acute’.

“If a full invasion takes place and conflict spreads, the needs will rapidly expand and the international community – including the UK government – will need to assist in providing the full range of emergency humanitarian supplies”

Bilateral UK aid to Ukraine for this financial year amounts to £33.3 million.

This is separate from other assistance that the UK is providing, such as military hardware.

The current conflict in Ukraine started in 2014 and is concentrated in the East – in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

UK aid spending in Ukraine has been focused on support to government and civil society such as anti corruption and peacebuilding programmes.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also worked with international partners to provide emergency humanitarian support in the East.

This has included emergency food and medicine, and securing basic infrastructure such as water access.

Humanitarian access to communities in the conflict zone has been difficult. Ukraine covers a vast geographical area by European standards and has a population of 44 million.