IT IS PERHAPS one of the saddest facts of life that it takes something as tragic as the conflict taking place in Ukraine to demonstrate the value of human life – and, indeed, the value of peacetime.

And even though nearly a month has passed since Russian forces first invaded Ukraine, for many of us it is still difficult to believe that we are seeing such a horrific conflict taking place so close to home.

It goes without saying that I stand with Ukraine, and with the Ukrainian people. My heart goes out to those who have lost their lives, to those who have lost loved ones, to those who have been forced to flee their country, and to those who are living their lives in fear every day.

But while a terrible event such as this can shine a light on some of the very worst aspects of human nature, it can also highlight some of the very best aspects, too.

Over recent weeks, we have witnessed communities across Europe stand in solidarity with those in Ukraine.

Here in the UK, people have donated millions to humanitarian projects in Ukraine – totalling over £150million at the time of writing, a figure which includes £25m in match-funding from the UK Government.

Total UK Government support funding for the current crisis has now surpassed £400m.

And as we witness the largest mass-movement of people across Europe since the Second World War, we are seeing individuals across the country inviting refugees into their homes.

Within days of the UK Government opening their new scheme to help Ukrainian refugees settle over here, we saw over 50,000 people apply to host someone in their own home, with this number having now surpassed a staggering 150,000.

But there are many more steps the UK Government has taken as it has stepped-up to respond to the crisis in Ukraine.

The government has hit Russia with an array of tough sanctions, including excluding Russian banks from SWIFT, freezing over £200billion in Russian bank assets, and committing to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year.

We have also supplied over 3,600 anti-armour weapons to Ukrainian forces.

So effective have these weapons been in stopping Russian tanks that Ukrainian soldiers have reportedly been shouting 'God Save the Queen' as they fire them, and there could be no better a gesture to symbolise how our United Kingdom stands with Ukraine in this conflict.

And of course, as the situation continues to develop, so too will the assistance on offer from the UK Government, and from the British people themselves.

The resolve of the Ukrainian people to fight for their right to remain a sovereign nation has been nothing but admirable.

Putin has, in many regards, already lost this war. Going forward, I hope this same Ukrainian resolve will ensure he loses this war in every possible respect.