Sir Keir Starmer has been issued a desperate plea by an aid worker in Ukraine on the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Alain Homsy, the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Ukraine Country Director, said Ukrainians fear the war being overtaken by other issues in world leaders’ minds, and a decrease in foreign aid spending will have consequences. He said: “I think it’s important that the Ukrainian conflict is not forgotten. I think, politically, it’s an important country when it comes to European support. But I think there is, there could be, eventually some donor fatigue.”

He added that there are “a lot of other crises in the world, like Sudan, like Gaza, who have also very big needs”. But, Mr Homsy, who has to descend into a bomb shelter in Kyiv in the face of Russian attacks, emphasised that it’s important to make sure that the Ukrainian conflict, and the needs of its populace, are high up in the considerations of other nations.

When asked specifically about Britain, the aid worker said: “I mean, to be honest, I think every Government can do more, but there are projects that are being funded by the UK Government, the FCDO… So, yes, obviously there’s always room to do more, and we hope that the Government will be seeing that the needs are still growing, and that they can support the Ukrainian Government and Ukrainian people for a longer period of time.”

The Prime Minister announced in February last year that the UK would reduce foreign aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) by 2027 – the lowest level since 1999 – in order to boost defence funding.

When asked if this worries him, Mr Homsy said: “Absolutely. I mean, it’s not just the UK, but we saw what happened in the US, and we’re seeing a trend in European governments that are reducing their foreign aid. So yes, of course, this is not just an issue for Ukraine, but humanitarian aid in general.

“So yes, we’re very concerned… that people that are in most need will not be getting it or getting enough of it in the near future.”

Less aid would affect healthcare support, Mr Homsy said, such as provisions at clinics and hospitals.

Healthcare workers have a lot of psychosocial needs, the aid worker emphasised.

There are also many child protection needs, Mr Homsy added, not just as regards their education, but also their mental health and psychosocial needs.

“Growing up under the bombs is very problematic for kids,” he said.

Gender-based violence is a key issue, Mr Homsy mentioned.

“A lot of these issues are not talked about [and] may fall down between the cracks if the support from foreign aid is not available,” he added.

Ukraine’s needs will continue to be grave, even if the war ended tomorrow, Mr Homsy said, as entire communities have been “completely destroyed”.

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He recalled a recent visit to the village of Novogrigorievka in Donetsk Oblast, all of whose houses were wiped out in the first few months of Putin’s so-called “special military operation”.

Mr Homsy said: “All the services have been destroyed, but now people want to go back and then start rebuilding.

“They don’t have heating… they’re very resilient. So the IRSC with other NGOs are trying to support them as much as possible.

“But their needs are high. So if people can evacuate, they will. Otherwise, the people that are there will help each other and try to rebuild their lives in a place where there’s no services left.”

Vladimir Putin is “standing in the way” of a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said today, as he promised to stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

“If there is a ceasefire or agreement in the near future, the humanitarian needs will be there for at least six months to a year, maybe even longer,” Mr Homsy insisted.

Sir Keir told the House of Commons when announcing the reduction in foreign aid spending: “I want to be clear to the House that this is not an announcement that I am happy to make. I am proud of our pioneering record on overseas development, and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, tackling climate change and supporting multinational efforts on global health and challenges like vaccination.

“In recent years, the development budget was redirected towards asylum backlogs, paying for hotels, so as we are clearing that backlog at a record pace, there are efficiencies that will reduce the need to cut spending on our overseas programmes. None the less, it remains a cut, and I will not pretend otherwise.

“We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case and to rebuild a capability on development. But at times like this, the defence and security of the British people must always come first. That is the No. 1 priority of this Government.”