Two years on, Russia must pay the price for its aggression in Ukraine

The mother of Ukrainian soldier Lubomyr Hudzeliak, who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, mourns over his flag-draped coffin during his funeral at the Lychakiv cemetery.

Two years ago, I stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian Charge D ’Affairs in Canberra as we projected the colours of Ukraine – yellow and blue – onto our British High Commission office building. It was an unequivocal statement of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Today, two years on, once more our building will be cast in the colours of free Ukraine.

The Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko wrote in 1850 of his exile and longing to return to his homeland.

“In captivity I count the days and nights. Then lose count. O, Lord. How hard. These days drag on. And the years flow between them.”

Whether two days, two weeks, or two years, the UK’s support for Ukraine is unwavering.

At a time of such danger and uncertainty in the world, we cannot insulate ourselves from these crises. Our response needs to be one of persistence, strength, resilience and unity, of continued co-operation between the United Kingdom and our international partners. Our determination must not falter.

Yes, it is hard but we must remember why we do this. Securing Ukraine’s rights and sovereignty is standing up for our own and being clear to those who challenge global norms that they cannot win and that they will not be on the right side of history.

I commend the Australian government’s recent announcement to contribute $50 million to the International Fund for Ukraine, administered by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, which procures priority military equipment for Ukraine – a vital step in ensuring military support in 2024 and beyond.

British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell

For our part, Britain has provided the equivalent of $13.5 billion AUD to Ukraine, including an increase of $4.8bn AUD in military spending for 2024/25. We also hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference last year which resulted in partner’s providing a further $60bn AUD to meet recovery and reconstruction needs. We have trained 60,000 Ukrainian personnel with international partners including Australia. I was privileged to accompany Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister Marles to Salisbury Plain just over a year ago to see this training in action.

It was a humbling experience bringing home the sacrifice ordinary Ukrainians are prepared to make to see off Russia’s aggression – one in ten of those we met were unlikely to survive the year on their return to the battlefields of home. This terrible human cost of this conflict must be understood.

We offer sanctuary too and have provided two hundred and twenty-five thousand Ukrainians a safe haven in Britain since the beginning of Russia’s invasion.

Furthermore, we have introduced the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on Russia or indeed any major economy. The UK has sanctioned over 1700 individuals and entities since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We must use every lever in our gift to apply pressure on Russia.

Let us be clear, Russia abandoned any guise of being a responsible global power by breaking sanctions that it itself ascribed to, turning to Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for military support. How desperate is that.

So, we will not let up. No, we will double down on our support so Ukraine not only wins the war, but emerges stronger, sovereignty regained, free. We must see off Russia’s aggression and ensure they pay the price for undermining global stability.

We don’t do this because it is easy. We do this because it is right.

The United Kingdom and our international partners will always stand against aggressors and stand up for freedom and democracy. This is why we stand with Ukraine.

Vicki Treadell is UK High Commissioner to Australia.