Protesters say ‘don’t betray Ukraine’ as thousands march on Russian embassy

Thousands of protesters have marched on the Russian embassy in London as they called on the international community not to “betray Ukraine”.

A coalition of Ukrainian community and UK-based labour organisations attended the rally on Saturday calling for Russia’s troops to withdraw, ahead of the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The march comes amid fears Ukraine is being frozen out of peace talks between Moscow and US President Donald Trump.

Trump

In a joint statement, the organisers of Saturday’s march said Ukraine has been made vulnerable by not being provided with enough aid to defeat Russia and is being “expected to consign its own citizens to occupation under a deal imposed by Trump”.

They added that they were calling for “renewed solidarity, that peace must come with the full withdrawal of Russian forces”, as well as for a “surge in military aid to strengthen Ukraine in any negotiations and be able to finally end the occupation if no just agreement is secured”.

Protesters at the march carried placards saying “Occupation is not Peace” and “Don’t Betray Ukraine” behind a banner calling for “Russian Troops Out”.

The marchers, led by Ukrainian singers from the Hromada choir, assembled at a statue of St Volodymyr, a national saint of Ukraine, near Holland Park.

They then marched from the statue, erected in 1988 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the Christianisation of Ukraine, to the Russian embassy at Kensington Palace Gardens.

Olena Ivashchenko, director of Campaign for Ukraine, said Kyiv’s future was “being decided by politicians behind closed doors” and that “true and sustainable peace cannot be achieved without justice”.

She said: “We call for Russia to withdraw its troops from all of Ukraine, for Trump to end his backroom power games and for the UK to strengthen its leadership in safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty and Europe’s security.”

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) supported the demonstration alongside national unions including GMB, Unison and the NUM.

Solidarity

Barbara Plant, president of GMB, said the union “remains firmly in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom from Russian military aggression”.

Ms Plant said: “Only the ability for the Ukrainian people to truly determine their own future free from Putin’s occupation will bring about a just or lasting peace, and certainly not an alliance of oligarchs.”

The event was organised by the Ukrainian Solidarity Campaign, alongside other Ukrainian community groups and civil society organisations.

Mariia Pastukh, of Vsesvit Ukraine solidarity collective, said the location of the rally near the Russian embassy was to draw attention to “Russia’s imperialist ambitions, which fuelled its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine”.

She said: “We demand that Russia’s crimes in Ukraine not be forgotten.

“Legitimising this aggression by accepting the occupation would embolden dictators around the world.”

Christopher Ford, secretary of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, said: “The millions who have stood by Ukraine are appalled at the conduct of Trump and threat of betrayal, promises made to do whatever it takes to help Ukraine win have collapsed without any explanation.

“We must show that this is not inevitable and raise our voices that a partition and occupation is not a sustainable peace, the UK and Europe must not repeat the errors of 1930s appeasement.”