Zelensky urges Reform councils to reinstate Ukrainian flags on civic buildings

'Sometimes little, small mistakes can break big friendship' The post Zelenskyy criticises Reform for taking down Ukrainian flags on council buildings appeared first on Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate.

The Ukrainian national flag flies over British government buildings in Whitehall.Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Reform-run councils which have taken down the Ukraine flag from their buildings to “put it back”.The distinctive yellow and blue flag has been flown from public buildings across the UK as a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded the country in 2022.But some local authorities which are now run by Reform UK have lowered the Ukrainian flag from their civic buildings, saying only the Union Jack and local flags should be flown.Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has urged those councils to think again.In an interview with The Guardian, he said: “I hope they will put it back.”He added: “I don’t want to be involved in any political things, but you know, the world is so sensitive today. Sometimes little, small mistakes can break big friendship or huge contacts.“I think people have to not make mistakes, not to do anything which can break a friendship, and even if people do it [I would say:] ‘OK, so you did it, please let’s come back to the table, let’s speak, let’s understand each other’.”Laila Cunningham, Reform’s candidate to be London mayor, defended the party’s policy.She told the BBC’s Newsnight programme: “I think we should only have British flags.“We are a British country, we can’t have flags for all conflicts. We are a British country and our public buildings should have the British flag. It doesn’t mean that we don’t support Ukraine in any way.”Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Zelenskyy Sets Clock Ticking Over Russia Negotiations While Putin Is On The Back FootA Year After Trump’s Scolding, It Turns Out Zelenskyy Has All Kinds Of CardsExclusive: Farage Urged To Sack Reform Candidate Who Called Zelenskyy 'A Nazi'

Councils raised Ukrainian flags following Russia's invasion in 2022, but some Reform-run local authorities have now lowered these in favour of flying local flags and the Union Jack.

The Ukrainian president urged Reform-run councils to reverse a decision to remove Ukraine's flag from civic buildings.