“Oxford City Council condemns without reservation the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian government led by President Putin. Our thoughts and solidarity are with the Ukrainian people.
"This is a tragedy not just for the people of Ukraine, but also for those of Russia who have been plunged into this war against democracy, and many of whose citizens are bravely protesting against this outrage. Our thoughts are with all those residents of Oxford who have family and friends in Ukraine and Russia who will be so full of fear, worry and sadness at this time.
“Oxford has always been proud of our twinning and friendship links. Shortly after the end of the Second World War Oxford formed a link with Bonn, building on links built by OXFAM developed during the war itself. After the Cold War ended Oxford developed a friendship link with Perm in Russia which became a formal twinning link in 1995.
“Friendship and twinning links in our city have been built on existing networks of connections developed over time between our city and another and have been about supporting people in developing democracies, building understanding between countries, promoting peace and encouraging the international outlook that our city has always prided itself on.
“Our friendship links are with the cities and their people, not their governments, but have allowed us to raise concerns with our twin cities about national governments’ actions. We will be writing to Perm to express our condemnation of the Russian government and our support for brave peace activists in Russia.
“We look forward to a time when we can rebuild friendships between the people of Perm and Oxford. We continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and communities impacted here in Oxford.”
Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council
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