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Expert Briefing: Priorities for international support to Ukraine, as Russia’s war rages into its third year

Article by Alice Copland

May 9, 2024

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Expert Briefing: Priorities for international support to Ukraine, as Russia’s war rages into its third year

In March 2024, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), together with the APPG on Ukraine, and with support from the University of Birmingham, convened an off-the-record roundtable meeting in Parliament to discuss the ongoing situation on the ground in Ukraine and, as Russia’s war entered its third year, priorities for ongoing international support.

 

The discussion was chaired by Susan Coughtrie, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre. The conversation was led by a panel of experts who shared their unique insights. These included: David H Dunn, Professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham; Rachael Cox, Head of Policy at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (who updated on the humanitarian situation only); Elly Nott, CEO and Co-Founder of the David Nott Foundation; Tanya Mulesa, Director at Justice & Accountability for Ukraine (JAFUA); Tom Keatinge, founding Director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies (CFCS) at RUSI; and Olga Tokariuk, Chatham House OSUN Academy Fellow in the Ukraine Forum.

 

The panel discussed Ukraine’s ongoing humanitarian, political and military needs. Experts also reflected on the impact of the international community’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion and explored how this could shift in the future, particularly with US elections looming and engagement with the Global South still often overlooked. The panellists examined future prospects for the conflict, for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine and legal accountability for Russia.

 

The international community, including the United Kingdom, has underlined its commitment to supporting Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’. Participating experts shared that this thinking should shift to guaranteeing support for Ukraine for as ‘short as it takes’, emphasising a commitment to supporting Ukraine to win the war as quickly as possible, rather than simply to survive. Parliamentarians and staffers were able to hear these insights directly and engage in discussion on how the UK could shape its future approach.

 

Key takeaways emerged from the conversation and are summarised in the following sections below:

  1. Humanitarian need in Ukraine remains critical;
  2. The future response of the international community is unclear, but will have implications for Ukraine and globally;
  3. Countries must invest in Ukraine to protect its and their own security and interests, however ongoing support is not guaranteed;
  4. As the war continues the long-term challenges of conflict are coming into closer view; and
  5. Developing a shared mechanism for holding Russia legally and financially accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine is crucial.

 

Download the full summary of the briefing here.

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