Ukraine

Baroness Harris of Richmond Excerpts

Friday 25th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Harris of Richmond (LD) [V]]

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, for introducing this debate. It is both timely and necessary. I start by remembering what the Budapest memorandum was all about. Signed in 1994 by Russia, the USA and the UK, it was intended to reduce the threat of nuclear war. It prohibited all three countries from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, except in self-defence or otherwise, in accordance with the charter of the United Nations. So Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan were to give up their nuclear weapons—to Russia.

Ukrainians thought they were getting a solid guarantee of security in return for surrendering their nuclear arsenal to Russia. Then Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, and no one did anything to stop it. So here we are, helping Russia to continue this tragic, unnecessary and illegal war by not providing Ukraine with the defences that it needs to give it a chance to get Russia to the negotiating table. Ukraine has been made to fight with one hand behind its back. I absolutely agree with the excellent speech from the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, who spoke so eloquently on this.

I am proud that my country has been at the forefront of helping Ukraine to fight for its right to remain a sovereign country and not be overtaken by its belligerent neighbour. But I ache for the thousands of Ukrainians killed on the battlefield, with their families and homes destroyed and so many of them now displaced around the world due to the horrors of war in their homeland. Policymakers around the world have been amazed and humbled by the fighting spirit, bravery and dedication of their forces. They believed, as probably so many did at the beginning of this war, that Ukraine could never win against such might—but I challenge that, because I also believe that Russia’s forces have shown that they are not what we thought they were. Maybe their propaganda has hit its intended mark. Their losses are hugely more than those of Ukraine, and their advances not nearly as important as they would like us to believe them to be.

The media, drinking in this rubbish from the Kremlin, portray each tiny advance by Russia as a huge gain, when the reality is very different. In truth, Ukraine’s powerful and effective resistance has been a shock to them. Given the proper means to defend itself, Ukraine could at least help to save the lives of countless numbers of its citizens and so force Putin to the negotiating table. Will the Government use Russia’s frozen assets to make reparation both to individual Ukrainians and to the country as it rebuilds after the war?

Volodymyr Zelensky has produced a plan to bring some closure to the war, but the United States will not wear it. This is very disturbing as it was originally such a strong supporter of Ukraine, and I really caution it against dismissing Ukraine from its sights. Russia’s promises are not worth the paper they are written on; it cannot be trusted to keep its word on anything. Russia is willing to break every international agreement within the state system. It has lied about so many things, not least the invasion of Ukraine, and even if a deal were struck Ukraine needs more than words to keep Russia from further infiltrating its borders. It has already stated that it wants the complete destruction of Ukraine, so where is there room for any compromise with Putin? We must not make any concessions to him.

If we give in to Russia now, where will it go next? What of the Baltic states, as we have heard? Then it will be on into Europe to make the nightmarish dream of this despicable dictator to rule like a tsar come true. If Putin wins, might that be a green light for China to challenge the West? What do we think China might do? It will see the West’s weakness and go for Taiwan.

Finally, I want to mention visas. The temporary visas given to Ukrainians when they first came here will run out soon. What are the Government doing to extend these? Will the Minister ensure that, at least here, Ukrainians can build new lives and contribute fully to our society, by giving them the right to remain and work here? Many of them have professional qualifications and want to earn their own living. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leicester spoke about this. Giving them skilled visa status would be the best way to recognise them. Does the Minister agree, and will the Government provide them that status? To all our new friends who have made their lives here now, who mourn for their broken homeland and their families who could not escape the Russians’ barbarity—those who have to live with the reality of terror every day—we owe our loyalty and assistance.

Ukraine is a proud, sovereign nation. It deserves our full support and our thanks for halting Russia’s further advances into Europe. Its brave fighters and citizens need us to step up now, especially in the face of some reluctance by other nations. I hope and pray that we will never let them down.

Ukraine

Baroness Harris of Richmond Excerpts

Thursday 21st September 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Harris of Richmond (LD) [V]]

My Lords, I too thank the Minister for her introduction to the debate and the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, for her powerful speech.

“Please, keep reporting the facts and not the propaganda.” So said Olena, staying in Ukraine, determined to support and fight for her homeland despite the awful privations Ukrainians have experienced in the past 19 months of this dreadful, illegal war perpetrated on them by a Russian leader who is out of control. Still they fight on, determined to win back the areas stolen from them by force.

In June 2022, I first met Ukrainians. I was contacted by a local doctor who had opened his home to a young family fleeing the horrors of war. He had organised a barbecue and invited friends and colleagues to bring their Ukrainian refugees together, so that they could meet up again, socialise and try to bring some sense of humanity, normality and friendship to their shattered lives. I was struck by the fact that they were almost all women and children, with just two teenage boys among them. Their husbands, fathers and brothers had stayed behind to fight, and of course no one knew then—as we do not know now—how the course of the war would unfold.

The women stood quietly together in that beautiful, peaceful Yorkshire Dales garden on a warm and sunny afternoon. The children played quietly together, all the time watching their mothers. I talked to them about their experiences through an interpreter; most of them then had little English. None could speak about their families left behind without tears pouring down their faces. They hugged each other in mutual support, given comfort in the knowledge that each was enduring the same pain.

One of the sponsors told me that, earlier, their Ukrainian family had been out walking in the countryside when a gun went off—not an unusual sound in the farming communities around there. Both the mother and her young child had thrown themselves immediately to the ground, fearing the worst. We can only imagine the horrors that they must have witnessed in their home country to cause that reaction.

The UN has recognised that women, children and the marginalised in society are significantly more affected by such humanitarian crises and need a targeted response based on their pre-existing vulnerabilities. All over the world, where there is conflict, disabled people, women and children, LGBTI people and ethnic minorities are significantly more affected by war.

We have seen how neighbouring countries have come together to offer humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands—indeed millions—of refugees fleeing Ukraine. I am proud that, here in the UK, we have given wide support to many of them, as we heard from the Minister. I meet regularly with a group of Ukrainian women in Richmond, and I am always humbled by their dignity, resourcefulness and bravery. Their children have integrated quickly and easily into local schools and speak English with a slight Yorkshire accent. But we must not forget that their menfolk are still fighting on the front line and that we must continue to support them too.

In the comment and analysis section of the Observer on 16 September, the headline was “Now is No Time to Reduce Support for Ukraine”. It went on to warn of the cooling of that support in the US, especially from the Republicans, citing a CNN poll that indicated that

“51% of Americans believe the US has … done enough”,

while only 48% feel that it should do more. Military aid is beginning to slow, and I wonder how we expect Ukraine to win a war against a huge army with vast arrays of lethal hardware if we do not provide it with even better equipment. We have the means, and so do European countries and the US, to help it achieve its freedom from this aggressor.

A Georgian refugee living in Sweden told a friend of mine that wealthy Russians are buying up properties in neighbouring countries such as Armenia and Georgia as second homes, because they believe that, after Ukraine is annexed, other countries will be too, and that they will then have lovely holiday homes. They refuse to speak the native language in those countries and will speak only Russian in the shops, restaurants, town halls, et cetera. That makes the local people feel marginalised in their own country, and the Russians are pushing up property prices beyond the reach of the local population. That is what happens when you allow the Russians into your land. Of course, the same thing is happening here—maybe not to the same extent, but we must beware.

The same Observer article said:

“Those in the west who believed at the outset that this war could somehow be contained or ringfenced, and sought to keep their distance and limit involvement, must surely see now how wrong they were. Like a cancer, the conflict ineluctably metastasises around the globe. How much more avoidable suffering and divisiveness must there be, how much more institutional damage and international destabilisation, before the world finally realises that this is not just about Ukraine—it’s about everyone?”


In conclusion, when our Ukrainian friends eventually return to their own country, as many will, they will need our continued help and support as they rebuild their lives and their shattered country. I ask the Minister, as I was not able to hear her opening speech clearly, whether she would repeat the steps that are presently in place, here and now, to help in that reconstruction. We are working closely alongside other nations that are helping Ukraine; will she undertake to keep the House informed of progress in that area? This war will, sadly, drag on and on unless we provide the means for the Ukraine military to stop it. If not, we are talking about instability in the western world for as long as we exist. Ukraine’s fight is our fight.

Defence Reform Bill

Baroness Harris of Richmond Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2014 Grand Committee

Relevant documents: 17th and 21st Reports from the Delegated Powers Committee.

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness Harris of Richmond) (LD)]

My Lords, if there is a Division in the Chamber while we are sitting, this Committee will adjourn as soon as the Division Bells are rung and resume after 10 minutes.

Clauses 44 and 45 agreed.

Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Consequential Provisions: Primary Legislation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2013

Baroness Harris of Richmond Excerpts

Tuesday 17th December 2013 Grand Committee

[Lord Astor of Hever]

My Lords, I thank the two noble Lords for their contributions to the debate. I very much agree with the noble Lord, Lord Empey, that all services and benefits should be universally available throughout the United Kingdom.

Five Ministers of State for Northern Ireland provided consent for these amendments to be made. The departments are the Department for Social Development, the Department of Justice, the Department for Employment and Learning, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. No further Northern Ireland government approval is required for this SI, but the noble Lord asked me about a possible future situation where a Minister refused consent. I am afraid that I do not have an immediate answer with me, but I undertake to write to the noble Lord on this important point.

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees]

My Lords, there is a Division. We will return at 3.52 pm.

RAF: Fukushima Accident

Baroness Harris of Richmond Excerpts

Tuesday 13th March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Astor of Hever]

My Lords, my noble friend makes a very good point. I give him my word that I will take it back to the department and see what I can do.

[Baroness Harris of Richmond]

My Lords, the RAF Regiment is the acknowledged military expert force for CBRN capability. Will my noble friend assure me that there are no plans to reduce its numbers either now, when its work for this country is absolutely critical, or in the foreseeable future?