Britain can't just stop oil. We'd be at Russia's mercy

IT HAS been 500 days since Putin invaded Ukraine, and in this time his troops have killed thousands, displaced millions and damaged countless hospitals, schools, cultural treasures, private homes and industrial centres.

- Grant Shapps

According to the UN, relentless Russian targeting of Ukraine’s energy system has caused more than £7.5billion of damage. And the reason is clear. Putin cannot win on the battlefield. We’ve seen that over the course of this war.

So he is attempting to weaken Ukraine’s resistance by obliterating its energy infrastructure.

And yet here too, he is failing.

Early on in the conflict Ukraine disconnected from the old Russian grid, a legacy from the Soviet era grid to the east.

It reconnected with the European grid in a matter of weeks – a process which should have taken a year and a half. They once again demonstrated an incredible spirit of resistance, because they refused to be cowed by Putin.

This Government has been working hard with its allies abroad to support our Ukrainian friends in their tireless struggle for freedom against Putin’s war machine.

To date, the UK has provided wide-ranging support on immediate needs, including more than 1,000 generators, and last week, we announced deepening co-operation on energy: investing almost £40million more to bolster the green transition, bringing further UK expertise and investment to Ukraine’s energy network.