Chamber and committees

Rona Mackay highlights the unease and anxiety that must be felt by Ukrainian citizens who are living in this country. Their lives have been turned upside down, and they are now living far from their home and from many of their loved ones. I understand the anxiety that will be felt. My message to those individuals living in our community is to express solidarity and to assure them of Scotland’s support and assistance. Scotland will be absolutely true to maintaining that support and assistance to those individuals.

I think that the importance of a guarantee of security is absolutely fundamental in this discussion. Without a guarantee of security, the suffering of the people of Ukraine in the course of the past three years will have been for nothing, should they be exposed to further Russian aggression. Therefore, the point that Mr Gibson puts to me is vital.

I have set out the Government’s position today in order to contribute to the discussion that is under way across a range of European and western countries on how, collectively and collaboratively, we can assure the security of Ukraine. If we do not secure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, we will be acting in a manner that will undermine the safety and security of western democracy, and we must not take that step.

Therefore, my point to Mr Gibson is about the importance of us contributing to that European dialogue and working with the United States to deliver the security that Ukraine requires. If we do not do that, we will, I fear, see more of the aggression that we have seen from Russia in the future.

I readily associate myself with Jackson Carlaw’s suggestion. Invitations to Parliament are, of course, a matter for the Presiding Officer and the parliamentary authorities but, for my part in the Government, we would happily support such an endeavour.

Mr Carlaw raises an important opportunity for us as a country to come together to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. I would be happy to take part in any discussions on the important suggestion that he has made.

If I may, I will also say how welcome it is that Mr Carlaw makes clear his support, from his political position, for the work that the Prime Minister is undertaking to try to resolve the extremely serious situation that we currently face.

The Scottish Government has provided in excess of £5 million in relation to humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, which has provided essential supplies in relation to health, water, sanitation and shelter. Additional support has been provided for Ukrainian citizens who have been coming to Scotland and making this country their home.

Right around the country, various local groups are doing such work. Indeed, one day last week, I met in the Parliament members of a group from South Ayrshire who have been providing welcoming support to individuals. Peter Kormylo, to whom Emma Harper referred, and the group from South Ayrshire have made that contribution, as have people from across the country, as I have seen in my community in Highland Perthshire, Aberfeldy and Errol, where work has been undertaken to support families and dispatch assistance to Ukraine. Those people have all made a huge contribution, which is deeply valued by the Scottish Government.

I will make two points in response to that. First, Patrick Harvie used the term “truth”. Truth is so important in the conduct of these issues, because we all know that Ukraine, as a democratic society, was invaded by an aggressor—Russia—and nothing should be expressed that does not make that point centrally in this discussion.

Secondly, the Scottish Government keeps all issues in relation to cybersecurity under active review at all times. Indeed, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, who has responsibility for civil contingencies and resilience in the Government, briefed the Cabinet this morning on the steps that are being taken to review our posture.

The issues that we, as a society and as a country, are facing are affected by the Ukrainian conflict and the events that are taking their course. We in the Scottish Government must be satisfied—we will work closely with the United Kingdom Government in this respect—and we must be certain that we are doing all that we can to protect the resilience, resolve, capacity and capability of our country, and that includes our data systems. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs will brief the Cabinet on those issues regularly and take forward the point that we agreed this morning about the importance of that exercise being carried out.

The people of Ukraine have suffered enormously, and it is vital that the peace settlement that is achieved is one that protects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Those are the requirements of a just peace, and they should comprise the approach that is taken to confront Russia and to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of the people of Ukraine are fulfilled as a consequence of that support from the west.

Mr Brown speaks with the authority of having been a member of the armed forces who served in active combat in the Falklands war in 1982. As I do on many issues, I have the greatest respect for the contribution that Keith Brown has made to public life and public service in our country through service in the armed forces, which I have never undertaken.

He acknowledges and knows the seriousness and significance of deploying armed forces in roles of danger. The approach that the Prime Minister is suggesting is that they should be in a position to protect and assure Ukraine’s security, but that does not come without its dangers, given Russia’s behaviour, which we all know to have been malevolent.

The issues that Mr Brown raised about the choices that have to be made about the deployment of armed personnel are very significant. That is why I believe that those issues should be considered and discussed openly in the House of Commons in order to enable a democratic decision to be made and, fundamentally, to enable us to act in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in protecting their independence.

Pauline McNeill knows that I come at my politics from the perspective of believing in the necessity of European co-operation and active participation in European decision making and governance. I very much welcome the summit that the Prime Minister hosted at the weekend, which, fundamentally, involved European leaders. That is an indication of really good intention on these questions.

Pauline McNeill is absolutely right. I am certain that more could be undertaken at a European level to support peacemaking in the middle east. We all watch with horror the events that continue to take place in Gaza as we speak. The level of conflict in the world is intolerable, and we must use every available device at our disposal to work to bring communities together and to avoid conflict in the way that we are experiencing it today.

Stephen Kerr is correct that matters relating to international relations are wholly reserved, but I contend that they have an impact on our way of life. If the Parliament does not confront those issues, I do not think that we will address properly the challenges that all our communities face as a consequence of the situation in which we find ourselves.

We need to have effective defence forces available to us. Part of my argument is that we have a vast coastline and a vast airspace around Scotland, which are critical to the security of western Europe and our country, and our ability to defend that would be strengthened by greater emphasis on conventional weaponry, rather than the investment that has been made in nuclear defences. That is my reflection on defence priorities.

In relation to the defence sector, a strong number of companies in Scotland are involved in defence-related activities. Those companies make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy, and I welcome the work that they undertake. It is important that we recognise that, given the difficulties that we face at present.