A woman is overwhelmed by emotion in the backyard of a house damaged by a Russian airstrike (Vadim Ghirda/AP)
(Picture: AP)The government has faced criticism from MPs on both sides of the House of Commons for its slow response to the growing humanitarian disaster in Ukraine, as people flee the country in their thousands following an invasion by Russia last week.
The UK initially said it would take direct family members, and has expanded this to include adult parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings – although some feel this does not go far enough, especially when compared to the open door policy that the EU has rolled out.
During a visit to Poland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki: “We stand ready, clearly, to take Ukrainian refugees in our own country, working with you, in considerable numbers, as we always have done and always will.”
Organisations and individuals will also be able to sponsor people fleeing Ukraine under the new scheme offered by the government, which Mr Johnson says could allow some 200,000 people or more to enter the country.
Home Secretary Priti Patel told MPs: “This is a very generous and it is an expansive and unprecedented package.
“It will mean that the British public and the Ukrainian diaspora can support displaced Ukrainians in the UK until they are able to return to a free and a sovereign Ukraine.”
What do you think of the offer that the UK has made thus far? Let us know in the comments below for the chance to be featured on the ES website tomorrow.
