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Ukraine war: Boris pledges ‘new Marshall Plan’ to rebuild country after Putin’s war

Ukraine war: Boris pledges 'new Marshall Plan' to rebuild country after Putin's war 2

Boris Johnson has vowed a ‘new Marshall Plan’ to rebuild Ukraine in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, after Volodymyr Zelensky invoked Churchill in a defiant and emotional address to British MPs in which he repeated his plea for a no-fly zone.

Speaking to reporters in Lancaster House on Tuesday night, Britain’s prime minister promised to ‘protect’ and ‘restore’ Ukraine’s freedom, sovereignty and independence as he warned: ‘The level of disgust and outrage at what is happening in Ukraine is mounting around the world and the noose is tightening on the Putin regime.’

He also declared his intention to implement a ‘new Marshall Plan’ after the war, in reference to the post-1945 American effort to revive the economies of Western Europe and create a bulwark against Stalin’s expansionist USSR following the defeat of Hitler’s armies.

But MPs have voiced concerns that Britain’s rhetoric, including its strong condemnation of Putin’s invasion last month, is not being matched by its practical efforts to assist Kyiv economically and militarily as Russian missiles rain down on civilian areas in Ukraine.

Following Zelensky’s historic speech to the House of Commons, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned: ‘We commend President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine and we stand with them in this their time of strife, but our response will not be judged by the volume or strength of our applause for President Zelensky. It will be judged by the volume and strength of our response to his request for help – for practical military support and for humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine. 

‘We pray for their success. We dare not let them down.’

In a powerful address that was greeted before and after by standing ovations, Ukraine’s comic-turned-wartime president Zelensky channelled Churchill’s ‘we shall fight them on the beaches’ speech and begged Britain to ‘make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe’.

It came shortly after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year as part of a ratcheting up of sanctions on Moscow for the attack, which was launched on February 24.

Elsewhere, there has been frustration at the slow progress in processing Ukrainian refugees, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace offering military support to the Home Office to help deal with the backlog of people trying to get into the UK. 

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused ministers of moving ‘too slowly’ in banning Russian oil imports over the invasion of Ukraine, while several experts cast doubt over how effective such sanctions will be. Labour welcomed the Government’s move as ‘the right decision’, but called for further action to tackle the cost of living crisis and to move towards clean energy.

Sir Ed said: ‘The Conservatives are once again moving far too slowly to punish Putin for his illegal invasion of Ukraine. It’s not good enough to only ban Russian oil, there must be a ban on Russian gas too.’

Boris Johnson has vowed a ‘new Marshall Plan’ to rebuild Ukraine in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, after Volodymyr Zelensky invoked Churchill in an emotional address to British MPs

Boris Johnson has vowed a ‘new Marshall Plan’ to rebuild Ukraine in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, after Volodymyr Zelensky invoked Churchill in an emotional address to British MPs

Boris Johnson has vowed a ‘new Marshall Plan’ to rebuild Ukraine in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, after Volodymyr Zelensky invoked Churchill in an emotional address to British MPs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the House of Commons, March 8, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to the House of Commons, March 8, 2022

In this photo provided by UK Parliament, Boris Johnson and lawmakers applaud as Zelensky is displayed on a screen and addresses the House of Commons in London, March 8, 2022

In this photo provided by UK Parliament, Boris Johnson and lawmakers applaud as Zelensky is displayed on a screen and addresses the House of Commons in London, March 8, 2022

Firefighters in Kyiv try to extinguish a fire after a chemical warehouse was hit by Russian shelling on the eastern frontline near Kalynivka village, March 8, 2022

Firefighters in Kyiv try to extinguish a fire after a chemical warehouse was hit by Russian shelling on the eastern frontline near Kalynivka village, March 8, 2022

A joint funeral takes place at 'Saint's Peter and Paul Garrison Church' in Lviv for two soldiers who died in the east of the country during recent fighting, March 8, 2022

A joint funeral takes place at ‘Saint’s Peter and Paul Garrison Church’ in Lviv for two soldiers who died in the east of the country during recent fighting, March 8, 2022

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains – capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Two speeches full of defiance in the face of the enemy

 Volodymyr Zelensky, March 8, 2022

Ukraine war: Boris pledges 'new Marshall Plan' to rebuild country after Putin's war 3

Mr Zelensky gave his speech from a non-descript office in Kyiv, flanked by a Ukrainian flag. 

He looked tired and drawn as he spoke to the Commons via a videolink. 

Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine’s fight against Russia to Britain’s World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany. 

He said: ‘We are the country that is saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world.

‘We have to fight the helicopters, rockets, the question for us now is ‘to be or not to be’. Oh no, this Shakespearean question. 

‘For 13 days this question could have been asked but now I can give you a definitive answer, it is definitely yes, to be.

‘I would like to remind you the words that the United Kingdom has already heard which are important again.

‘We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.

‘We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.’

 Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940

Ukraine war: Boris pledges 'new Marshall Plan' to rebuild country after Putin's war 5

Winston Churchill gave his famous speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940 and it remains his most famous political statement.

It was the second of well-known three speeches he gave after becoming Prime Minister amid the fall of France.

He got up at the end of the evacuation of British and allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk to give a rousing address bellowing defiance across the channel.

He said: ‘Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous states have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.

‘We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.

‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

‘And even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the new world, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.’

Here’s how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal

Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis.

Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. 

For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families – mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly – fleeing from Russia’s invading armed forces.

As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support.

Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. 

In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously.

TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE 

Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate 

To add Gift Aid to a donation – even one already made – complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine

Via bank transfer, please use these details:

Account name: Mail Force Charity

Account number: 48867365

Sort code: 60-00-01

TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE

Make your cheque payable to ‘Mail Force’ and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY

TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US

US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003

He said the invasion of Ukraine highlighted how Europe was ‘too dependent’ on Russia and that the continent needs to invest in renewables to ‘end Europe’s addiction to Russian fossil fuels’.

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy tweeted: ‘It’s right that the UK will phase out imports of Russian oil. We need to do everything possible to cut the Putin, his cronies and the rogue Russian regime out of our economic system.’

Speaking to broadcasters in London, Johnson accepted the decision to target Moscow’s oil would not hit the Kremlin’s regime immediately, with Ukraine continuing to face assault, but said it would add to the ‘extreme’ sanctions already levied.

The UK imported goods from Russia worth a total of £10.3billion in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was the equivalent of 2 per cent of the total value of all imported goods from around the world.

No UK petrol demand comes from Russia, nor heating or fuel oil but 18 per cent of the total demand for diesel comes from Russia, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Tom Keatinge, director of the RUSI Centre for financial crime and security studies, told the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that unless the EU imposed similar sanctions on Russia, UK and US sanctions could merely push up prices.

He said: ‘Someone pointed out to me yesterday that the rate at which commodity prices are rising at the moment, actually, Russia could sell a lot less but still earn just as much money.’

Justine Walker, global head of sanctions, compliance and risk at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, said: ‘If we’re to target oil, then I think there needs to be a much broader consensus.

‘If you just have the US targeting oil or the UK targeting oil, then you are, as Tom says, you’re just going to drive up prices and actually will not be effective.’

Asked if this meant there was no point in imposing the sanctions without a broader international consensus from other players like the EU, Keatinge said: ‘I think we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact, price is obviously a function of supply and demand.

‘So what are we doing to work with suppliers to replace the capacity that gets lost from Russia – but clearly the EU needs to buy into that strategy.’

Dr Chi Kong Chyong from the Energy Policy Research Group at Cambridge Judge Business School warned that stopping the flow of Russian oil and gas into Europe may not be the ‘hammer blow’ that Western countries are looking for.

In an article published to the University of Cambridge website on Tuesday, he said: ‘Europe is part of a global, increasingly commoditised market, in which trade embargoes by one region will not be effective if others don’t follow.’

During his address to the Commons, Zelensky – who is said to have to keep his whereabouts a secret due to the threat of assassination in Kyiv – appealed to MPs by quoting from Shakespeare and paraphrasing Churchill.

In a nod to one of the former British prime minister’s most inspiring speeches of the war, Zelensky said: ‘We will fight until the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forest, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.’

He also pressed home the desire of Ukrainians for their independence to continue, despite their homeland being under attack by Kremlin forces, with a line from Hamlet. 

President Zelensky’s address to the House of Commons in full

Mr Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing all the people of the United Kingdom, a country with a big history. I am addressing you as a citizen and the President of another big country with a dream.

I want to tell you about the 13 days of war—a war that we did not start and did not want. However, we have to conduct this war. We do not want to lose what is ours—our country—just as you once did not want to lose yours to the Nazis and you had to fight for Britain.

On day one, at four o’clock in the morning, we were attacked by cruise missiles. Everybody woke up—people, children, the whole of Ukraine—and we have not slept since. We have all been fighting for our country alongside our army.

On day two, we suffered airstrikes, and our heroic military servicemen on the islands fought when Russian forces demanded that they lay down arms. However, we continued fighting, and they felt the force of our people, who will oppose the occupiers until the end.

The next day, artillery started firing at us. Our army showed us who we are, and we saw who are people and who are beasts.

On day four, we started taking people captive. We did not torture them, remaining humane even on day four of this terrible war.

On day five, the terror against us affected our children and cities, and constant shelling happened around the country, including on hospitals. That did not break us, but gave us a feeling of great certainty.

On day six, Russian rockets fell on Babyn Yar, where the Nazis killed thousands of people during the second world war. Eighty years later, the Russian hit them for the second time. Even churches are getting destroyed by shelling.

On day eight, we saw Russian tanks hitting the nuclear power station, and everybody got to understand that this is a terror against everyone.

On day nine, a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly ended without the result we were looking for. We learned that, unfortunately, alliances do not always work properly, and the no-fly zone was not enforced.

On day 10, Ukrainians started protesting en masse, stopping armoured vehicles with their own hands.

On day 11, children, cities and hospital were hit with rockets and constant shelling. On that day, we realised that Ukrainians have become heroes—entire cities, children and adults.

On day 12, the losses of the Russian army exceeded 10,000 people killed, including a general. We were given hope that there will be some kind of responsibility for these people in court.

On day 13, the city of Mariupol was attacked by the Russian forces, and a child was killed. The Russians did not allow any food or water, and people started panicking—they do not have water.

Over those 13 days, over 50 children have been killed. Those children could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us.

Ukraine was not looking for this war. Ukrainians have not been looking to become big, but they have become big over the 13 days of this war. We are saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world, with its helicopters and rockets. 

The question for us now is, ‘To be, or not to be’. This Shakespearean question could have been asked over the past 13 days, but I can now give you a definitive answer: it is definitely, ‘To be’.

I remind you of the words that the United Kingdom has already heard because they are important again. We will not give up, and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea and in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores and in the streets. We will fight on the banks of our rivers, like the Dnieper. 

We are looking for help from civilised countries, and we are thankful for this help. I am very grateful to you, Boris. 

Please increase the pressure of sanctions against Russia and please recognise that country as a terrorist state. Please ensure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is required by the greatness of your country. I wish my best to Ukraine and to the United Kingdom.

Translation by Hansard – UK Parliament 

A couple hug under the destroyed bridge as civilians continue to flee from Irpin, March 8, 2022

A couple hug under the destroyed bridge as civilians continue to flee from Irpin, March 8, 2022

Members of the Ukrainian military arrive to reinforce a forward position near Kalynivka village, March 8, 2022

Members of the Ukrainian military arrive to reinforce a forward position near Kalynivka village, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

A view from a damaged civil settlement after shelling in Donetsk, March 8, 2022

This Maxar satellite image taken and released on March 8, 2022, shows a closer view of armored vehicles moving northeast of Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Ukraine

This Maxar satellite image taken and released on March 8, 2022, shows a closer view of armored vehicles moving northeast of Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Ukraine

FOUR UK squaddies go AWOL to fight in Ukraine: MoD launches desperate hunt to find 19-year-old Queen’s Guard last heard of on the Polish border  

Four British soldiers including a teenager paid to protect the Queen are feared to have gone AWOL to fight Vladimir Putin’s invading forces in Ukraine.

A 19-year-old member of the Queen’s Guard, whose identity has not been revealed for security reasons, reportedly dropped his ceremonial duties as a Coldstream Guardsman and signed up for Ukraine’s International Legion of foreign volunteer fighters. 

The soldier reportedly wrote to his parents before booking a one-way ticket to Poland over the weekend with an intention to then cross the border into Ukraine. He has since posted a photo of his boots on Snapchat, according to the Sun newspaper. 

The shock development has sparked panic at the Ministry of Defence, with security chiefs racing to intercept the teenager in case Russia tries to claim that Britain has entered the war if active army soldiers are found fighting on the frontlines.

When Putin launched his brutal war to ‘demilitarise’ and ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine, he warned foreign powers tempted to intervene that they would ‘face consequences greater than any you have faced in history’. Days later, the Russian despot put the Kremlin’s nuclear deterrent forces on ‘alert’, in a dramatic escalation of international tensions that sparked fear across the West.

And in a chilling threat at the weekend, Moscow vowed to punish London for its support for Kyiv, ominously warning: ‘Russia will not forget Britain’s desire to co-operate with ultra-nationalist forces in Ukraine and the supply of British weapons to the Kiev regime’.

‘The question for us now is to be or not to be,’ he said, in a translation by Parliament TV. ‘Oh no, this Shakespearean question. For 13 days this question could have been asked but now I can give you a definitive answer. It’s definitely yes, to be.’

The embattled president said Ukraine faced a similar dilemma to the one Britain encountered in the Second World War.

He said the current conflict, in which he said 50 children had been killed, was akin to when Britain ‘didn’t want to lose your country when the Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight’.

Johnson, who received a personal thanks from Zelensky for his support, told the Commons after the speech that ‘never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address’.

‘In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns, President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom,’ Johnson said.

Speaking in Washington, President Joe Biden said the US joining in with the phased oil prohibition would be a ‘powerful blow’ to Putin’s war.

But he warned Americans that the sanction would have ripple effects at home, telling them that ‘defending freedom is going to cost’ after Brent crude rose 7 per cent to 131.95 dollars per barrel on Tuesday after media reports surfaced about the ban. A year ago, Brent was trading at around 61 dollars per barrel.

The Prime Minister suggested that diesel prices could be set to rise further in Britain after the announcement, with prices at the forecourts already having soared following Moscow’s attack on Kyiv, but predicted the decision ‘won’t affect’ domestic businesses.

During talks at Lancaster House, Downing Street said Johnson and his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala agreed to work with European allies to ensure Russia can ‘no longer control energy supplies’, in a sign of a further push to come on blocking the Kremlin’s oil sales.

The Prime Minister met with Fiala as part of discussions with the Visegrad group of countries, which also includes Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.

The V4 have received some of the most refugees since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, but the UK Government has faced flak, including from Conservative MPs, for the lack of visas it has so far handed out to those fleeing.

Home Office minister Kevin Foster said in the Commons that the figure for visas issued had risen to more than 500 – up from 300 on Monday night – while a new processing centre at Lille is expected to be set up within the next 24 hours.

The Prime Minister, speaking after his leaders meeting, said the numbers of refugees being accepted could run into the ‘hundreds of thousands’ via what he called a ‘very generous programme’.

Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it is now a criminal offence for any Russian planes to enter UK airspace, after a ban was previously announced.

Shapps wrote to airports saying he can order them to detain Russian aircraft and has the power to order the Civil Aviation Authority to terminate registration of planes owned by sanctioned individuals.

‘We will suffocate Putin’s cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die,’ he tweeted.

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