6. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Ukraine Humanitarian Response

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:59 pm on 14 February 2023.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 4:59, 14 February 2023

I'm grateful to the Minister for the way in which she's responded to this statement this afternoon. Language and tone in politics is fundamental to our debate and it talks about the values that we all share, and I think the way in which people in Wales have reached out to Ukraine, recognising the catastrophic impact of the invasion on people's lives, I think demonstrates that people in communities up and down this country want this Government to continue to reach out to support people in Ukraine.

I also want to thank the Counsel General for his leadership. Of course, he comes from a Ukrainian background, rooted in communities in Ukraine, and has built links between Wales and Ukraine over many decades, but has also used the power of his oratory and his experience in the last year to motivate and to help people with this support. And I think, as a Parliament, we should acknowledge the work that Mick Antoniw has done over recent months.

Can I ask the Minister, in responding to the statement today, that we will continue to support Ukrainian families and people who will come here because of the dangers facing them at home, and we will continue to do that in the profound, comprehensive and holistic way that she's described? But we also need to help people in Ukraine, and that means ensuring that we contribute internationally to what we're able to do in terms of maintaining infrastructure. When we were there in December, one of the things that was very striking was the impact of Putin's war machine on the energy infrastructure, for example, in Ukraine, and anything that the Welsh Government can do to contribute to that wider international effort, I think, would be important. And a final point—