Thank you very much Volodymyr. Thank you for having me today at this incredibly difficult time for you and your country. I want to begin by once again saluting the bravery of the people of Ukraine in defying the appalling aggression that we have seen. In the last few weeks the world has found new heroes, and those heroes are the people of Ukraine.

When I was here just a few weeks ago and we were in another room I think in your palace, the defence intelligence we had suggested Russia thought Ukraine could be engulfed in a matter of days and that Kyiv would fall in hours to their armies. And how wrong they were. I think that the Ukrainians have shown the courage of a lion, and you Volodymyr have given the roar of that lion.

I thank you for what you have been able to do, your leadership has been extraordinary. I think what Putin has done in places like Bucha and Irpin, his war crimes have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his government.

It’s clear – and we discussed this at length – it’s clear that he has suffered a defeat but his retreat is tactical and he is going to intensify the pressure now in Donbas and in the east.

That’s why it’s so vital as you rightly say Volodymyr that we, your friends, continue to offer whatever support we can. Together with our partners, we are going to ratchet up the economic pressure and we continue to intensify week by week the sanctions on Russia. Not just freezing assets in banks and sanctioning oligarchs, but moving away from use of Russian hydrocarbons.

We will give you the support that you need, the economic support but also of course the defensive military support in which I’m proud to say the UK helped to lead the way. Just the other day we raised I think £1.5bn at a donor conference from friends, partners around the world, dozens and dozens of countries that now want to support Ukraine.

We want to liberalise trade with Ukraine as we go forward to help your economic circumstances, barley and other commodities – there are things we should be doing. We want to help with demining your country, getting rid of the savage traps that the Russian army has left behind.

To come to your central point Volodymyr, I think we are evolving a vision now for the future. Heraclitus said war is the father of all things – that was an exaggeration, war isn’t the father of everything – but what this war is certainly producing is a clarity about the vision of a future for Ukraine.

Where together with friends and partners, we – the UK and others – supply the equipment, the technology, the know-how, the intelligence, so that Ukraine will never be invaded again. So Ukraine is so fortified and protected that Ukraine can never be bullied again. Never be blackmailed again. Never be threatened in the same way again.

In the meantime, there is a huge amount to do to make sure that Ukraine is successful, that Ukraine wins, and that Putin must fail.

Over the last few hours I’ve been able to see quite a lot of your beautiful country, and it’s an amazing country. I’ve also seen the tragic effects of the war. An inexcusable war, an absolutely inexcusable and unnecessary war.

But having been here in Kyiv for just a few hours, I have no doubt Volodymyr, listening to too listening to your team, your redoubtable team, I have no doubt at all that an independent sovereign Ukraine will rise again thanks above all to the heroism, the courage of the people of Ukraine. Thank you very much and slava Ukraini [glory to Ukraine].

Yesterday Cabinet Office Minister Nigel Adams visited Greggs House in Newcastle to hear how the food-on-the-go retailer is investing in communities and is helping to get people back into work.

During the visit, Minister Adams heard from a number of employees at Greggs’ HQ about the Fresh Start programme which offers training and work experience to people who are transitioning into work, including care leavers, people who have been unemployed for a long time, or who are leaving the armed services or prison.

The Minister also took the opportunity to promote the government’s Places for Growth programme which will benefit Newcastle and the surrounding areas. The ten year programme will move 22,000 roles outside of London by 2030 to other regions in the UK by 2030.

The number of civil servants working at government locations in the north east increased between 2020 – 2021 by 5.7%. The programme has also committed to more than 350 roles being relocated to Tyneside by 2025.

As a prominent business employing more than 25,000 people and operating over 2,200 shops nationwide, Minister Adams heard from the senior leadership team, including Roisin Currie, CEO Designate and Emma Walton, the organisation’s People Director, about their ambitious plans to reach 3,000 shops and double Greggs’ sales in the next five years – which in turn will help to achieve the governments levelling up agenda by investing in communities and providing thousands of jobs in all regions of the UK.

In November, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced a new core hub office in Newcastle upon Tyne which will enhance and support the close working and co-location between existing Defra staff in Newcastle, and number of arms-length body colleagues.

The Departments for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), DEFRA, Work and Pensions (DWP), Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HMRC have all made commitments to grow their workforce in Tyneside and the surrounding areas.

Minister Nigel Adams said:

Greggs is an iconic British company that has not forgotten its roots and continues to support and create jobs for local communities throughout the UK.

The government is committed to strong local growth through our Places for Growth strategy. There are more than 16,000 civil servants already in the Tyneside area from at least 15 government departments, and it’s vital that we continue to build a more diverse and inclusive civil service that reflects local communities across the UK.

Roisin Currie, CEO Designate said:

Whilst Greggs is a National business, the sheer ‘localness’ of our operations means we can have a hugely positive impact on the communities we serve both through offering employment opportunities including to those who need more support through our Fresh Start programme, but also through our longstanding partnership with The Greggs Foundation supporting initiatives such as the Breakfast Club programme.

Our people are what makes our business successful and we pride ourselves on offering them a great place to work. It was good to hear more about the Levelling Up agenda from the Minister, and we are supportive of any positive steps made to further drive equal opportunity for UK communities.

Notes to editors

• Government departments who have a presence in the Tyneside area include Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pension (DWP), Cabinet Office, Home Office, Ministry of Justice (MoJ), DEFRA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

• The government announced this week that employers businesses hiring former members of the UK armed forces in their first year of civilian employment can save thousands of pounds through National Insurance relief.

• Civil Service Statistics as at 31 March 2021 are available here.