The UK is providing £2 million of food supplies to parts of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces, the Government has said.
Warehouses in Poland and Slovakia are being readied to supply the “rapid donation” of dried food, tinned goods and water to the Ukrainian government from early next week, according to the Foreign Office.
Local residents gather in the courtyard of an apartment building damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO
Around 25 truckloads will then to be transported by road and rail to the communities in greatest need.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced typhoon jets and Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel are being deployed to Romania for a fourth year to join the long-standing Nato air policing mission for the Black Sea region.
The FCDO said the quick donation of food supplies to Ukraine was “essential”, with the window closing to reach people in towns and cities already encircled, as well as those at high risk.
A view shows an apartment building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “This vital donation of food and supplies will help support the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s barbaric invasion.
“Our teams are working day and night with our Polish and Slovakian friends and the government of Ukraine to ensure those at most at risk get the essential supplies they so badly need.”
Alice Hooper, FCDO humanitarian adviser, added that many people in encircled areas were “trapped in basements without access to food or water”.
Residents extinguish a fire after a bombing destroyed a family home in a northern district of Kharkiv as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine, March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
THOMAS PETER
“Nearly six million children remain in Ukraine, many sheltering inside buildings which are coming under attack,” she said.
“We are working with partners at the borders to ensure these vital UK supplies reach the places they are needed most as quickly as possible.”
The RAF deployment forms part of Nato’s increased presence in Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the MoD said.
It involves four Typhoon jets from 3 (Fighter) Squadron, normally based at RAF Coningsby, and 150 RAF personnel.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said: “The UK remains committed to Nato and European security in the face of Russian aggression and the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
Air policing is a purely defensive operation, the MoD said, and “ensures the security and integrity of all Nato alliance member’s airspaces”.