LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Britain defended its record on welcoming refugees fleeing Ukraine on Monday, after criticism it was not doing enough and was far behind its European neighbours in helping address the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War Two.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia started bombarding its neighbour, with hundreds of thousands pouring into Poland, Romania, Slovakia and elsewhere.
The British government has been condemned by charities, opposition lawmakers and France after its insistence that refugees first acquire a visa means some Ukrainians have been stuck in the French city of Calais, unable to enter Britain, and provoking a diplomatic spat.
Britain has announced visa schemes for those who have family in the country or a willing sponsor. Media reports at the weekend said Britain had only issued about 50 visas for Ukrainians so far.
"You've got to remember that two weeks ago this situation didn't exist at all," Europe minister James Cleverly told BBC TV. "We're looking to create something at a very, very large scale very, very quickly. Initially, of course, it will be slower than we would like. But that will pick up."
He said there would be significantly more than the 50 visas reported but could not say what the numbers would be.
"This is the largest refugee crisis since the second world war," Cleverly said. "This is a scale that I think very few of us are used to dealing with."
Interior minister Priti Patel told the Sun newspaper she wanted to create a humanitarian route that would allow anyone from Ukraine to come to Britain, but Cleverly said he did not expect the existing requirements to change.
"We can't do with 'no questions asked' because when people come to the UK we need to make sure they are supported," he said.
The European Union has agreed to grant temporary residency to Ukrainians fleeing the invasion and give them access to employment, social welfare and housing for up to three years.
