Ukraine: Reparation
Debate between Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton and Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
The noble Baroness draws our attention to an important aspect of this hideous war: the attack on Ukrainian identity. One of the ways this is put into effect is through the deliberate, wanton destruction of cultural artefacts. They can be registered, and decisions will be made; I think there are 130,000 registered acts that have been included so far, though obviously there are far more that we can expect to be included. All of these things need to be considered, because this is not just about territory, it is about Ukrainian identity.
Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con)
My Lords, does the Minister agree with me that we should not give up on the idea that the frozen Russian assets themselves should be used, rather than just making loans or payments on their behalf? They should be seen as a downpayment on the reparations that Russia will one day rightly have to pay.
While at the moment we clearly do not see the United States giving this conflict as much attention as we would like, I am sure the Minister has seen that the Ukrainians are inflicting record casualties on Russian troops through their brilliant use of drones. Does she agree that this proves this is a cause worth investing in and supporting, because the Ukrainians are in the right?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Absolutely. We have all declared many times in this Chamber and elsewhere our admiration and respect for the people of Ukraine, and our determination to stand by them. The noble Lord’s last point was really quite important; we must remain focused on Ukraine, despite what is happening elsewhere. The innovation and learning that the Ukrainian fighters have been able to glean from their heroic efforts will be absolutely vital in defending against drone attacks in other parts of the world.