It was a honour to be invited by Mariia Savvinova, who Chairs the Eastbourne branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, to listen to her remarks calling for peace, and to pay tribute to the people of Ukraine on this anniversary, alongside our Mayor.
We made the case that democracy is on the line - in Ukraine and across Europe. And if Ukraine falls, it’s not just Ukraine that loses but the values of freedom and democracy that we all hold dear.
We must therefore redouble our support for Ukraine - including increasing our defence spending to keep Europe safe - and we must seize frozen Russian assets in the UK and Europe to help protect Ukraine.
And close to home we can be proud we’re playing our local part too, whether via the huge generosity of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, whether through the masses of supplies donated by local families, and much more.