Russian tanks moving westward, cities being shelled and under siege, long columns of refugees trying to escape the fighting. You would be forgiven if you thought I was referring to events in Germany at the end of world war two. Sadly, that is not the case. President Putin, by his reckless, unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine, has turned the clock back and brought war to Europe. There is however one big difference between 2022 and 1945. Back then, it was the Russians who were the victims of aggression, fighting the forces of a brutal regime; today the position is reversed.

Ukraine is a sovereign, democratic state suffering an unprovoked, premeditated attack. Let us not be fooled by Putin's claim promoted by left-wing apologist groups that this invasion has been provoked by NATO expansionism. NATO is a defensive alliance whose official policy states that the alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. Only 6 per cent of Russia's land borders touch NATO member countries. Russia has land borders with 14 countries, only five of them belonging to NATO. The last two countries to join the alliance were Montenegro in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2020, hardly presenting a threat to Russian security. Indeed, it is Russia, under Putin, that has consistently proved itself an aggressor.

In 2008, Russia invaded the former Soviet republic of Georgia in support of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In 2014, Ukraine itself was attacked with Russian troops occupying Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. If Putin's intention was to weaken NATO, it has backfired spectacularly, with the alliance more united than ever and countries like Sweden and Finland considering applying for membership now.  Countries across the world have acted to make sure Putin feels the full cost of his actions, including implementing the most severe package of sanctions Russia has seen. The UK Government has set out a six-point plan for the global response, providing clear leadership to ensure Putin's active aggression fails on all counts. On sanctions, the United Kingdom has frozen £258 billion in Russian bank assets, more than any country. We are implementing sanctions that deal a severe blow to the Russian economy, hobbling their military-industrial complex, and personally damaging Putin's inner circle of oligarchs. And we are providing humanitarian support to Ukraine in its hour of need.

According to the United Nations, more than 2 million people have fled fighting in Ukraine. I understand and completely agree that checks need to be made to ensure that we are helping those in genuine need, an approach based on the strongest security advice. However, as a Conservative sitting in the Welsh Parliament, I do urge the Home Office, in front of you all here today, to speed up the process, so those who seek a safe haven in the UK can find refuge here. For the past few sessions, I've heard speeches from all parties and various Members on Ukraine and how all of the men, women and children are indeed in our thoughts and our prayers. Like you, my heart goes out to them too.

I want to share something with you all here today. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a constituent of mine. For the purpose of her confidentiality—she doesn't want to reveal her name—I'm going to call her Miss B. She wrote to me and said, 'Natasha, I'm asking for your help. My mum, my dad and their newborn baby are in Ukraine. Please help them get out. They don't know what to do, and I don't know what to do myself.' Naturally, my first response was, 'Please get them out of there as quick as you can and as fast as you can'. And then, obviously after that, she said, 'Natasha, I'm trying my sincerest best, but I don't know what else to do.' After contacting the foreign and Commonwealth office, I didn't sleep for a week, because I was genuinely concerned for their well-being. The family actually lives in my constituency. They're as Welsh as each and every single one of us sitting in this Senedd. Having a newborn baby and being there for genuine medical purposes, it was a sincere reason why they were there, and they just simply wanted to get home and be as a family together.

Their daughter, who I consider my new-found hero, who really has worked tirelessly to get them home, has finally told me that the family are back safe and sound. I spoke to Mr B today, the father, who told me that whilst they were indeed caught up in the invasion, they left Kyiv to Lviv in the west of the country in a taxi, which took them over two days to get to. Due to the complete road blockages everywhere, they then took another taxi to the Polish border, but were dropped some 20 km away from where they had to go. A husband, a wife and their newborn baby had to walk that entire distance by themselves. They had no pram, they had their luggage in tow, but they walked that way, and thanks to the help of the foreign and Commonwealth office, which worked tirelessly to get them to safety, they finally managed to reach Poland. Like I said, I'm delighted to know that they are back home and with their families. They are in full praise for British high commission, the embassy staff, the foreign and Commonwealth office, who did their utmost to help them get their documents and gave them the support that they needed to escape, because, in their words, 'the online system in Ukraine has been completely compromised by a cyber attack from Russia'.

Presiding Officer, it is not the strength in the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit. The spirit of the people of Ukraine and of those who may not have been born in Ukraine but consider it home, and also that of my constituents and many others like them who have got home to safety, under the inspirational leadership of President Zelenskyy, remains unbroken, and I'm sure that their strength will continue. I firmly believe that the people of Ukraine will save themselves by their courage and determination and save the world by their example. Thank you.