Cornwall MP praises bravery of Ukrainian people and says the 'world stands in solidarity'
George Eustice has described the scenes coming from the country as 'shocking'
Last updated 11th Apr 2022
A Cornish MP has been praising the bravery of the Ukrainian president and people following the invasion from Russia.
Environment Secretary George Eustice, who also represents Camborne and Redruth, says we must ensure Putin cannot prevail.
He said the UK “would be making available more defensive military equipment to the Ukrainians” following Boris Johnson’s surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday.
Speaking live from Camborne, Mr Eustice told Sky News: “I think the whole world is coming together to show solidarity and support of Ukraine about what’s happened. That’s why the Prime Minister announced yesterday that we would be making available more defensive military equipment to the Ukrainians, additional missiles and so on.
“We’ve been giving them support from the beginning, but also it’s so important that we remain absolutely resolute when it comes to sanctions against Russia.
“We must ensure that Putin cannot prevail on this. The Ukrainians have been incredibly brave, I think President (Volodymy) Zelensky has led his people well and we’ve all been humbled really by the acts of bravery we’ve seen but also deeply shocked about some of those terrible scenes that we’re seeing coming out now from the cities from which Russia’s withdrawn.”
On the progress of the Ukrainian refugee schemes, the Cornish MP said the Home Secretary was “looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers”.
He told Sky News: “Well obviously it’s different for countries that are bordering the Ukraine, because people fleeing a war like this obviously will cross the nearest land border, and that’s why countries like Poland and Hungary obviously are getting more of those refugees coming in.
“But we have now issued visas under the two schemes we’ve got, in particular the sponsorship scheme, to around 40,000 Ukrainians and around 12,000 of those are already here.
“We’ve made some changes already, making clear for instance that those with a Ukrainian passport don’t need to attend an appointment in person, and I know that Priti Patel’s looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers as and when those arise.”
Around 83 refugees have so far been granted permission to come to Cornwall under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.
Cornwall initially saw the largest response to the Homes for Ukraine scheme in the country, with over 2,000 offers.
Weekly meetings have been set up between partners across Cornwall to ensure they are doing all they can to keep the process as smooth as possible.