Ukraine

Lord Mott Excerpts

Friday 31st October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Mott (Con)]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Barrow, on his maiden speech and look forward to many more of his speeches to come. I also congratulate and thank the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, for such a powerful opening, particularly in the light, perhaps, of some of the recent speeches in this debate. I refer the House to my support for the charity Ukrainian Action, which provides emergency support, humanitarian aid, recovery and reconstruction. I thank all the hundreds of volunteers who make a difference every day.

When I visited Kyiv recently, I saw at first hand not just the scars of war on that brave country but the determination of a nation fighting for its future. We must recognise that what is at stake extends beyond the front line, as many noble Lords have said today, and indeed beyond the borders of Ukraine. The war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is not simply territorial; it is existential. It threatens the principle that a free people can choose their own path. That is why the United Kingdom’s ongoing support for Ukraine is not charity; it is principled and necessary.

The numbers tell a stark story. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that, in July, at least 286 civilians were killed and 1,388 injured—the highest monthly casualty figure since May 2022. In the first half of the year, some 6,754 civilians were killed or injured, a 54% rise compared with the same period in 2024. Nearly all the harm recorded occurred in territory under the Ukrainian Government’s control, emphasising the brutality of long-range missile strikes and the assaults by Russia on civilian lives.

At the same time, since Russia’s illegal invasion, the United Kingdom Government have committed up to £21.8 billion in support to Ukraine for military assistance and in humanitarian support. This is significant and underscores the depth of our involvement not as spectators but as partners to our friends and allies in Ukraine, as powerfully outlined by many noble Lords today. Our continued role must be sustained and strategic. I wish to identify three priority areas where the Government’s focus is most urgent.

Ukraine must not just survive; it must be secured. The UK has pledged military support “for as long as it takes”, but words alone do not suffice. We need an architecture of deterrence. That requires security guarantees, backed by credible capability, allied resolve and UK leadership. That means a long-term commitment to training, logistics and intelligence sharing, building on the success of Operation Interflex, which has already been mentioned today and has already trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian personnel here in the United Kingdom.

We must also ensure that any future peace settlement does not leave Ukraine vulnerable to renewed aggression but establishes the kind of durable security that allows reconstruction. War has destroyed and damaged much of Ukraine, but rebuilding offers renewal. In Ukraine, communities are already turning rubble into resolve, reopening schools, restoring infrastructure and keeping civil society alive under fire. The UK has committed significant sums towards reconstruction efforts, yet the scale must match what the moment requires. The UK must use its expertise, whether in infrastructure, finance or civil society, to support Ukraine’s recovery and ensure that the future it rebuilds is resilient and one where Ukrainians can flourish and the scars of war can begin to heal.

Let us not forget that there are horrific crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine. Families are being torn apart and the very identity of Ukraine is under threat. Some 7.5 million children have been impacted by this war, affecting their health, education and family life. Russia is using children as a weapon, with up to 35,000 children taken from their families and forced to forget their lives; they are being psychologically coerced to stay in Russia and to forget their identity. Others are being conscripted into the Russian youth army and could be forced to fight against their own people, their own friends and family. The trauma that these families are facing is constant; it is hard to imagine having your son or daughter taken—children and babies just months’ old taken from their mothers’ arms—and relocated to a country they do not know. The Government must ensure that our support assists with evidence preservation, assists Ukrainian judicial institutions and helps to make sure that Russian war criminals are brought to justice. I also pay tribute to Johanna Baxter from the other place for her work in this area.

Ukraine’s battle is not just for the future of its sons and daughters; they are fighting for the principle of self-determination and democracy. The United Kingdom must stand by our friends in Ukraine, as well as our values, and our support must be enduring, not because it is easy but because it is the right thing to do.