![Ukraine Update [Briefing]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595e193c36e5d38c3baa8e18/1704796018670-W66P68Z6ZEOLZTA80G9D/Graphic-01.jpg)
London CND Conference Briefing
Ukraine Update
The security situation in Ukraine has rapidly deteriorated since Russia invaded on 24 February 2022. At the end of November 2023, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) estimated that the conflict had taken over 18,500 lives, at least 10,000 of them civilians.
There are an estimated 12 million people inside Ukraine and over 4 million Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries requiring relief and protection. The Red Cross states: ‘The situation is still incredibly tense, dangerous, and distressing. People have taken shelter in basements, but often lack the most basic supplies such as food and water and at times have been unable to go out because of the shelling.’ It has also been reported that the facilities of humanitarian organisations are being targeted.
December 2023 saw an escalation of armed conflict in multiple regions, including Kyiv and the eastern oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk. In December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed across western media channels for increased aid, admitting Ukraine could not win the war without the assistance of NATO allies.
A White House spokesperson described US military aid as having ‘ground to a halt’. Before the final session of 2023, President Joe Biden urged Congress to agree $61.4bn for Ukraine, but this continues to be blocked in both the House and the Senate in disputes between Democrats and Republicans over aid to Israel and Ukraine. A €50-billion EU fund for Ukraine has also been vetoed by Hungary, which is due for re-discussion in February.
On a recent visit to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed an agreement promising long-term support for Ukraine, highlighting that the UK was the first to do so. Sunak promised a £2.5bn increase in aid from Britain this year but has declined to name a figure for UK long term aid.
CND continues to highlight the significance of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which carries an existential threat of nuclear war between NATO and Russia. The size of their combined arsenals should not be forgotten – approximately 12,000 nuclear weapons, many of which are 100 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.
Civilians in Ukraine, including ethnic Russians scattered throughout the country and who form a significant section of the population in Donbas, are the losers as this protracted conflict continues. CND calls for UK government intervention to convene peace talks, and for a halt to NATO expansion. A lasting settlement requires negotiations that take into account the security interests of all parties and ensure Russian troop withdrawal.