Foreign secretary Liz Truss has refused to disclose the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine Britain will accept.
It follows ferocious criticism over the Home Office’s failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.
When asked if the government will waive the rules for Ukrainians coming to the UK, she said: “It is a desperate situation. We’re working with the United Nations, we’re working with the Red Cross, to keep humanitarian corridors open.
“And of course Britain has always welcomed refugees fleeing from war, and we’re urgently looking at what more we can do to facilitate that.”
It comes as shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called the visa restrictions imposed on those seeking sanctuary in the UK from Ukraine “totally unacceptable”.
He added: “It’s insisting that people demonstrate salaries, that they have family ties in this country.
“People are fleeing with their children in their arms. Why would you ask people how rich they are to enter our country? Of course, there are some people who may not have family ties, but want to come into this country.”
Good morning. Welcome to The Independent’s politics liveblog for Friday 25 February. Follow along here for all the latest on the UK response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and more.
Charities call on UK government to lead efforts to welcome refugees fleeing Ukraine
A number of charities are urging the UK government to lead the charge in offering sanctuary to thousands of refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter to The Times, Save the Children, Amnesty International, the International Rescue Committee UK, the Refugee Council and others said the attacks on Ukraine could constitute “the most significant European conflict since the collapse of Yugoslavia”.
“A generation ago, the UK saved the lives of thousands of families from the Balkans through an evacuation and resettlement programme,” they said.
“The government should now respond with a well-resourced initiative working with councils across the country, to welcome Ukrainians who need sanctuary.”
At present, the Home Office said its priority was British nationals and their families.
Ben Wallace compares Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler
The defence secretary has compared the Russian president to Adolf Hitler following his comments made last month that there was a “whiff of Munich” about Vladimir Putin.
Ben Wallace said “it doesn’t matter how much effort we made” to prevent an invasion of Ukraine because Vladimir Putin “has been set on this for many, many months and certainly over a year”.
He told Sky News: “I wrote an article in January that President Putin was beyond this type of persuasion. President Putin, I said and got criticised at the time, there was a whiff of Munich about President Putin.
“It wasn’t the bit about appeasement I was referring to, I was referring that in … Munich in 1938 Adolf Hitler all along had a plan to invade parts of Europe and all the diplomacy was about a straw man sort of attempt by him to buy time.
“Putin has been set on this for many, many months and certainly over a year, and I think that’s why, you know, it doesn’t matter how much effort we made – and we all made unbelievable amounts of effort, we saw President Macron go, my Prime Minister regularly spoke to Putin – didn’t matter.
“As we’re seeing today, it’s not about the Donbas, it’s not about a minority, it is about a greed to subsume Ukraine into the Russian Federation, or indeed for President Putin to land-grab.”
Truss slams Putin’s ‘callous disregard for human life’ following talks with Ukrainian counterpart
Russia failing to achieve ‘any major objectives’ in Ukraine and has lost 450 personnel, defence secretary says
Russia is failing to achieve any of its key aims at the start of its invasion of Ukraine and has lost 450 personnel, the defence secretary says.
Ben Wallace said the Kremlin had been unable to take control of a significant airport, adding: “In fact, the Ukranians have taken it back.”
“Our assessment, as of this morning, is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives – in fact it is behind its hoped-for timetable,” he said.
Rob Merrick reports:
PM pays tribute to ‘bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people’
Boris Johnson said he is committed to providing further support to Ukraine during a phone call with president Volodymyr Zelensky on the “terrible developments” in Kyiv.
A Downing Street statement said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelensky this morning to express his solidarity with Ukraine.
“President Zelensky updated the Prime Minister on the most recent Russian military advances, including missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities and the terrible developments in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning.
“The Prime Minister assured President Zelensky that the world is united in its horror at what Putin his doing. He paid tribute to the bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people in standing up to Russia’s campaign of violence, and expressed his deep condolences for those who have been killed.
“The Prime Minister committed to provide further UK support to Ukraine in the coming days as the people of Ukraine and the world continue to demonstrate that Putin cannot act with impunity.”
UK government sanctions against Russia ‘not strong enough’, says Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has called on the government to impose “further financial restrictions” against Russia as airstrikes continue to rain down on Ukraine’s capital.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the Labour leader said he supported the government’s package of sanctions announced on Thursday but called for extra measures.
He said the UK should “break open” shell companies in Britain providing support to Vladimir Putin and target Russia via Swift, an international financial system.
Reacting to news that Russian troops were nearing Kyiv, Sir Keir said the situation was “extremely serious” and Britain should be “absolutely clear” in its stance.
“We have to stand together with our allies, particularly Nato, and it’s very important we must stand together as one United Kingdom, and therefore yesterday was significant in Parliament because all political parties spoke with one voice in our support for Ukraine and our support for Nato.
“In relation to the sanctions, I thought what the government put forward earlier this week was not strong enough. They came forward yesterday with a stronger package and I was able to say that we, the opposition, will support those further sanctions.
“I do want to go further. I think that we do need further financial restrictions, particularly the Swift mechanism. I also think we’ve got to break open the shell companies we have here in the UK that are providing financial support for Putin.”
UK must prepare to ‘accept short-term pain for long-term gain’, says Truss
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said the UK and its allies must ready themselves to face the “short-term pain” inflicted by sanctions imposed on Russia in the knowledge that “the pain felt by Putin will be exponentially higher.”
Writing in The Telegraph, she said Moscow had “lied to the world and their own people” after her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, assured her it would not invade Ukraine.
She said: “Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine exposes Vladimir Putin’s regime for what it is: mendacious, bellicose and calculating.
“This is not just an assault on the innocent people of Ukraine, their sovereignty and their future. It is also an attack on the security and freedom of Europe.”
She continued: “The Kremlin is leading the Russian people into a quagmire and turning Russia into a global pariah. This is the moment to take a hard-headed approach, which means being ready to accept short-term pain for long-term gain – in the knowledge that the pain felt by Putin will be exponentially higher.
“With Ukraine’s future in peril, we must unite in putting a stop to President Putin’s aggressive ambitions. He is hell-bent on realising his dream of recreating a Greater Russia with swathes of Europe in his sphere of influence.”
Ukraine: UK defence secretary rules out no-fly zone, warning it would be ‘declaring war on Russia’
The defence secretary has ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, warning it would amount to Nato having “to declare war on Russia”.
Senior Conservative MPs have called for the dramatic move and it is a key strand of the requests made by the beleaguered Ukrainian government, as it appeals for Western help.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more:
Putin ‘won’t stop’ after invading Ukraine – Wallace
Russian President Vladimir Putin “won’t stop” after invading Ukraine, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said.
He said the decision not to “put British service personnel in direct fighting” was not about “risk”, but to avoid triggering a “war across Europe”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I have said continually for a long time, as has Britain, and the Prime Minister has supported this position, that Putin is not rational.
“He is trying to invade Ukraine. He won’t stop after he’s … with Ukraine. He will use everything in the Baltic states. He doesn’t believe the Baltic states are really countries.
“And we will have to stand up to it. Now, I cannot trigger a European war and I won’t trigger a European war. But what I will do is help Ukraine fight every street with every piece of equipment we can get to them, and we will support them, and that is the reality.”
