The actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine have dominated discussions for the past week, as the fears of the world have played out through the news and social media.
On Monday 28th February, I attended the Policy and Resources Committee meeting of the City of London Corporation, where the Chair (Catherine McGuiness) condemned the Russian military aggression threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and the international rule of law.
On Monday 7 March at 11am a moment of reflection and prayer will be held in Guildhall Yard and other workplaces to show our support for the people of Ukraine and all those affected by Russia’s recent military operations. All are welcome to attend.
It was made clear that we recognise many Russians live and work in London and do not support the Russian government. Many Ukrainians also live and work in London and we are extremely proud that they have chosen to make our city their home.
The other actions the City Corporation has taken to respond to the crisis include:
- We have demonstrated our support for the Ukrainian people by flying the flag above Guildhall and lighting the building in its colours.
- We are donating £25,000 of our Disaster Relief Fund to UNICEF’s efforts on the borders of Ukraine.
- The City Bridge Trust already works with organisations supporting refugees arriving in the UK
- The City of London Police is the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Economic and Cyber Crime and has been at the forefront of efforts to combat money laundering, asset denial, and development of financial investigation capabilities.
- The Financial and Professional Services sector works with all agencies to combat economic crime and the Financial Action Task Force has found that the UK has a well-developed and robust regime to combat money laundering.