Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'd like to thank Alun Davies for bringing this important debate to Senedd Cymru and to thank all Members who have contributed. We are all acutely aware of the current tragedy that is unfolding in Ukraine, and we have discussed this many times in recent weeks. However, it is also important for us to reflect on times in the past when actions have been pursued that have undermined our common humanity. 

We regularly commemorate experiences of genocide and atrocities in this Siambr and across Wales, but we've not devoted significant time in recent years to talk about Holodomor. But my colleague the Counsel General, Mick Antoniw, has of course regularly drawn our attention to the suffering visited upon the Ukrainian people during the Holodomor, and I do welcome today the strong cross-party submission of this motion and engagement in the debate.

The ninetieth anniversary of these atrocities and the current focus on Ukraine provides an important stimulus for us to shine a light on the injustices of the past and to seek to avoid history repeating itself—as Alun Davies has said, not just to listen and remember, but to learn.

One of the few western journalists who reported on the famine in Ukraine and its causes was the Welshman, Gareth Jones. He was from Barry and he is buried in the Merthyr Dyfan cemetery. He was honoured locally, led by Barry Town Council, and a plaque will be placed over his grave or in the vicinity. He is still considered a hero in Ukraine and we must start to raise awareness of his warnings from today.

Gareth Jones was an eyewitness to the suffering in Ukraine, and told the truth about the horror he found. Initially, his stories were widely published, but by all accounts he was quickly ostracised and moved into the journalistic wilderness, and there is much we will learn about that and the reasons why, I'm sure, at the event that is taking place here at the Senedd tomorrow, commemorating Gareth Jones, sponsored by Mick Antoniw, and of course this all-important digitalisation of the archives by the National Library of Wales. I do hope that many Members will attend, to learn more about one of our often overlooked Welsh heroes.

The international media has changed dramatically since Gareth Jones was a journalist, and it's much easier for us to see with our own eyes the barbaric actions that Putin has taken in Ukraine. However, it is still crucial that we bear witness to the hardship of the Ukrainian people, and do whatever we can to ensure their rights are upheld. The UK Government has done much to hold out the hand of friendship to the Ukrainian Government, and we support them wholeheartedly in this endeavour. And the Welsh Government has contributed £4 million to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal, submitted medical aid amongst other efforts in Ukraine and the region, and we are supporting Ukrainians themselves to come to safety in our nation of sanctuary.

I'm not going to rehearse our work to support Ukrainian visa holders, because this is about commemorating the past, but I will just say that we are thinking very carefully about how we can support Ukrainians arriving here to record what they've experienced as part of the war crimes investigations. We will not turn away from those who have suffered, as happened during Holodomor.

It's clear that the deliberate actions of the Soviet Union, in forced collectivisation of land and seizure of resources, played a critical role in causing the famine. As Gareth Jones coined at the time, and I quote:

'I would look upon the children with their distorted limbs and feel the tragedy of that man-made famine which had the country in its grip.'

The Welsh connection to the Ukrainian people goes back a long way. Well before Holodomor, John Hughes travelled to Donetsk to establish an ironworks and collieries, as part of what was then called Hughesovka. We now see that city of over 1 million inhabitants under bombardment, and our heartfelt sympathies are with its residents. Gareth Jones's family history is relevant here. His mother, Annie Gwen Jones, was actually a governess to John Hughes's children in Donetsk, and it was her stories of Ukraine that inspired Gareth Jones, her son, to visit when he was old enough. She was a graduate of Aberystwyth University like her son, was a magistrate and secretary of Cardiff and District Women's Suffrage Society, and is really well honoured, as her son is, in the town of Barry. Even in the establishment of this Siambr, there are connections with Ukraine in the Heart of Wales, which sits in the floor at the centre of our Parliament. It was created by Alexander Beleschenko, a Swansea-based artist born to Ukrainian parents. 

We've all been awed by the bravery of the Ukrainian people during the current conflict. During the Holodomor, the suffering must have been immense, but Gareth Jones reported on the fortitude of the people, who asked not to be pitied because people in other parts had things even worse. Ukrainians have demonstrated again and again that they have the right to determine their own future, and they will find solidarity here in Wales. 

Before this conflict, Wales was home to around 500 Ukrainians, but we shortly expect to be home to more than 10 times that number. We will welcome them and learn from their experiences to strengthen our communities. Whilst it is clear to the Welsh public that Putin has attacked a sovereign nation, the deeper historic injustices caused by Stalin, such as the Holodomor, are not as well understood. I'm happy to commit the Welsh Government to raise awareness and commemorate the tragedy that occurred in Ukraine 90 years ago. We will remember the victims and encourage greater solidarity with the Ukrainians who are now finding sanctuary in Wales.