Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the call logs for the (a) former Foreign Secretary and (b) Permanent Under-Secretary covering the period 31 July 2021 to 15 August 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Following questions at his oral evidence session with the Foreign Affairs Committee on 1 September, the former Foreign Secretary wrote to the Committee on 15 September with a number of answers to questions concerning his and other FCDO Ministers' telephone calls, including during that period, as he promised. We will publish details of all calls and meetings in line with Cabinet Office Transparency requirements in due course. We do not publish details of internal meetings. The PUS had two external calls during the period, with Save the Children and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the humanitarian, economic and political consequences of a full scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are closely monitoring the situation with our allies. Any military incursion by Russia into Ukraine would be a strategic mistake. The costs to Russia would be catastrophically high and result in massive strategic consequences, including severe economic sanctions. Russia needs to de-escalate now and return to diplomatic channels.
We have been clear, to both Ukraine and Russia, that the UK and our allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Prime Minister underlined this on 7 December in his discussion with President Biden, Prime Minister Draghi, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel. The Foreign Secretary also reflected this in her meetings with Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba on 8 December at the inaugural UK-Ukraine Strategic Dialogue, and with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 2 December.
Our Embassy in Kyiv continues to monitor the situation throughout Ukraine, and will update our travel advice and draw it to the attention of British Nationals via our social media channels as the situation evolves.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Home Secretary on the potential for large numbers of refugees fleeing Ukraine in the event of a full scale invasion by the Russian Federation.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are closely monitoring the situation with our allies. Any military incursion by Russia into Ukraine would be a strategic mistake. The costs to Russia would be catastrophically high and result in massive strategic consequences, including severe economic sanctions. Russia needs to de-escalate now and return to diplomatic channels.
We have been clear, to both Ukraine and Russia, that the UK and our allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Prime Minister underlined this on 7 December in his discussion with President Biden, Prime Minister Draghi, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel. The Foreign Secretary also reflected this in her meetings with Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba on 8 December at the inaugural UK-Ukraine Strategic Dialogue, and with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 2 December.
Our Embassy in Kyiv continues to monitor the situation throughout Ukraine, and will update our travel advice and draw it to the attention of British Nationals via our social media channels as the situation evolves.