Nova Kakhovka Dam
Debate between Lord Selkirk of Douglas and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon(1 year, 5 months ago)
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
My Lords, my understanding is that parliamentarians are also attending that conference. As the noble Lord will be aware, it is primarily aimed at the private sector and focused on reconstruction, but I note what he said.
Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Con)
Does the Minister accept that a lot of the water will be undrinkable?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
I accept what my noble friend says. The challenge has been that, as the dam broke, pollutants and other substances such as oil and petrol contaminated the whole river. As I said to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, there are implications for both agricultural land and the ecological habitats along the river. The assessment is still yet to be made fully.
Ukraine
Debate between Lord Selkirk of Douglas and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon(2 years ago)
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
My Lords, I will not go into a specific case, but I agree totally with the noble Lord’s earlier comments. We need to ensure that we stand firm against Russian aggression. He is also right that Russian aggression is not limited to Ukraine. When noble Lords say that this was about Crimea, what about South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, and, of course, the Russian people themselves? Our fight is not against the Russian people. Many noble Russians are standing up to Mr Putin and paying the ultimate cost. I look forward to meeting the noble Lord if there are particular issues.
Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Con)
Will the Minister accept that there have been a great many repeated attacks on the civilian population in Ukraine and that no Government in the world could be expected to put up with that kind of treatment?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
I totally agree with my noble friend. That is why I am proud of the fact that, notwithstanding the tragedy that is unfolding on the Ukrainian people, the United Kingdom has stood, along with other key partners, as a true friend to Ukraine.