Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) facilitate the peace process in Ukraine and (b) support the implementation of reforms in Ukraine in line with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

The UK is committed to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to helping Ukraine build a strong economy, strong institutions and counter Russian aggression. We welcome President Zelensky's commitment to ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We have been clear on the importance of finding a diplomatic solution and continue to support the Minsk agreements, as well as the work of Germany and France within the Normandy Format. We continue to call on Russia to play its part to end the conflict by immediately ceasing its support for the armed formations it backs and fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk agreements. We repeatedly raise with Russia the need to use its influence over its proxies to ensure unrestricted access for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and humanitarian organisations. Continued discussions are fundamental for further progress towards peace.

In common with the EU and other like-minded partners, the UK continues to provide substantial assistance to strengthen Ukraine's democracy and institutions, and to support implementation of Ukraine's reform programme. In July 2017, we hosted the inaugural Ukraine Reform Conference, launching a series of annual reform conferences. For 2020/21, the UK has allocated over £40 million of programme support, with at least £12 million through the Good Governance Fund to help Ukraine deliver economic and governance reforms, including in the context of Ukraine's aspirations towards EU and NATO integration. This work includes initiatives to tackle corruption, deliver sustainable economic development and strengthen democracy. The UK is working to protect citizens affected by the conflict, develop peace-building expertise and promote social cohesion and resilience. This year we are focused on supporting Ukraine to mitigate and address the secondary implications of COVID-19 on conflict and stability.