Wales' First Minister has said the UK will need to "go further" in helping people fleeing Ukraine.
Mark Drakeford was interviewed on BBC Breakfast this morning.
The Irish Government has announced the immediate lifting of visa requirements between Ukraine and Ireland, which it says will help both the Ukrainian family members of Irish citizens, and the family members of people from Ukraine who are resident in Ireland. It will apply as an emergency measure to all Ukrainians travelling to Ireland.
The UK Government Home Office has said those who are on work study or visit visas will have those extended temporarily or will be able to switch to different visas, and it 4has provided emergency visas for Ukrainian family members of British citizens.
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Asked if that was enough, Mr Drakeford replied: "Well, it's all to be welcomed that is for sure. There's a slightly grudging spirit in the Home Office's announcement constantly talking about concessions being made to people who are already here.
"So I think we will, as I say, as the position clarifies, we will need to go beyond that and it isn't just the actions themselves. It's the spirit in which they are made, and will be important to establish our reputation as a country, which in the face of these enormously disturbing events, is prepared to play our part in responding to those people who are at the very sharpish end of it."
Asked if he was calling for a legal route for Ukrainians not related to British nationals to come to the UK, Mr Drakeford responded: "No, what I think I'm calling for is a continuation of the close engagement we have had with the UK Government in recent days, so that we can plan together for the moment when we will need to be able to welcome a greater number of people from the Ukraine into the United Kingdom. I think it's fair to allow the UK Government some time to see how events unfold, but planning and preparation needs to happen now. There was a good start of that last week, and I am very keen to see that continue."
Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government would continue to meet with the UK Government to discuss what help could be offered.
"We have had a series of meetings with UK ministers over the last 10 days and we'll have further meetings next week. Part of the agenda is to plan together for the actions that we can take to help those people who will be looking to rebuild their lives. Following the awful events that we are seeing in front of us.
"Wales has an ambition to be a nation of sanctuary, we've tried to live that out in relation to Syrian refugees and refugees from Afghanistan and will want to play our part again, as the picture unfolds, and as we work with other governments across the United Kingdom."
Asked what a nation of sanctuary was, Mr Drakeford said: "In practical terms, it means doing everything we can to provide those practical things, accommodation, education, health care, to people who come to resettle and remake their lives in Wales. But it's more than just services, it's also about an attitude of mind.
He shared a story about a Syrian refugee recently approaching him in a Cardiff car park and said it showed Wales could be a welcoming home to refugees.
Mr Drakeford, who represents Cardiff West in the Senedd, said: "I was in my own constituency just some weeks ago and crossing a car park to get where I was going. I was late, hurrying along, and I could see somebody in the distance coming towards me, it was a young woman, she had a baby in a pram with her and she stopped me as I walked, and she said: 'I have come to Wales from Syria, I just wanted you to know what a warm welcome we have received ever since we have been here'.
"She pointed to the baby in the pram and said: 'He was born after we arrived in Wales, and he will grow up to be a citizen of Wales'.
"When I talk about a nation of sanctuary, it's services of course, but it's that attitude of mind and that sense of reaching out and welcoming people whose needs are so enormous."
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