Britain has announced that it was providing cancer treatment for 21 seriously ill Ukrainian children as Britons were urged to open their homes to people fleeing the war.
The children and their immediate family members arrived from Poland on Sunday evening and would be assessed before being sent to hospitals to continue their care.
Announcing their arrival, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said, “I am proud that the UK is offering lifesaving medical care to these Ukrainian children.
“the people that have been forced out of their home country by the Russian invasion while undergoing medical treatment.’’
The children’s arrival came after a Russian attack on a military training base near Yavoriv in western Ukraine, less than 24 kilometres from the border with Poland, a NATO member.
Meanwhile, later on Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosts leaders in London from Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania.
Others are the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway for a summit of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to discuss the war.
Johnson would urge leaders to work together to ensure no further nations fall victim to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, his office said.
Johnson would host the group for dinner at his official country residence, Chequers, on Monday night.
The coalition would then meet in London on Tuesday before the prime minister was joined by the leaders of Finland and Sweden at Downing Street in the afternoon.
Johnson earlier said Putin’s barbaric actions were “testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity.’’
The people who were keen to offer refugees shelter in Britain can register their interest in sponsoring Ukrainians through the government’s new humanitarian scheme from Monday.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has said the process of matching Britons with people fleeing the conflict would take place from Friday.
while he expected the first refugees to use the new scheme would make their way to the UK by the end of the week.
Conservative lawmaker Danny Kruger told the BBC the scheme would provide Ukrainian refugees with “friends’’ as well as support.
“When a family arrives, often what they really need is friends. They need people to introduce them to the area, to take them to the church or show them where the playgroup is,’’ the MP said.
“These aren’t services that the local council is always best able to provide, but where there’s a need for professional support particularly if there’s counselling or training for job opportunity then we need professional services.’’
It was disclosed on Sunday that more than 3,000 visas had been issued to Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK, with tens of thousands potentially set to benefit from the new humanitarian scheme.
Those hosting refugees will receive a government stipend.
Meanwhile, Britain would supply Ukraine with more than 500 portable generators to provide energy for essential services, including at hospitals and shelters.
Johnson said they would help ease the power cuts currently crippling the country.
