Ukrainian campaigners have urged the Labour mayor of the West Midlands to “publicly and forcefully” address executives at the US owner of Cadbury’s for continuing to sell products in Russia.

Given Cadbury’s origins in Birmingham, B4Ukraine activists have written to Richard Parker calling on the Labour mayor to condemn FMCG giant Mondelez over its ties to Russia, The Telegraph reported.

In February during an interview with the Financial Times, Mondelez chief executive Dirk Van de Put defended the company’s decision to continue doing business in Russia, arguing that investors do not “morally care” and that “there has been no shareholder pressure whatsoever” to leave the country.

In the letter sent this week, the campaigners said: “The values that build Cadbury – values of community, fairness and pacifism – are not just history, they are principles that today are sorely in need of defending.

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“It is imperative that Mondelez understand this and, as mayor of the West Midlands, you are uniquely positioned to make them listen.”

It comes after Parker visited the Cadbury factory in Bournville, Birmingham last month. However, a spokesperson for the mayor told The Telegraph that it would not comment on the conversations had at the site.

A spokesperson for Mondelez said: “Since the beginning of the war, we have condemned this aggression against Ukraine. Our thoughts remain with all those around the world with family, friends, and loved ones who have been impacted.

“We are constantly supporting our colleagues in Ukraine. To help the Ukrainian people, we have continued to increase our now $15m (£11.5m) commitment via the Mondelez International Foundation to support Ukrainian citizens as well as refugees, with cash and in-kind contributions.”

It comes as earlier this month, Unilever completed the sale of its Russian subsidiary as the consumer goods giant made its official exit from the country.

CEO Hein Schumacher confirmed that the FMCG titan’s Russian and Belarus divisions have been sold to Russian manufacturer Arnest Group.