In November of last year, the Ukrainian Government abandoned its talks for closer trade ties with Europe in favour of turning back towards Russia, 23 years after voting for independence from the Soviet Union. Since then we have seen Ukraine’s people on the streets protesting and eventually toppling the Government in outrage at the decision to turn back towards the autocratic regime of Vladimir Putin.
In the past fortnight, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated and Russia has acted increasingly aggressively, particularly in the Crimea region of Southern Ukraine. There is a great deal of concern in Government and indeed across the whole of Parliament.
I attended a meeting organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine at which a visiting Ukrainian MP spoke about the Russian threat.
The Prime Minister spoke on the matter in the House of Commons last week. He cited Russia’s treatment of Georgia in 2008, the bullying of several smaller former Soviet states in the region and now their actions in Ukraine. He said “There is a pattern here and we need to interrupt that pattern”.