Chamber and committees

The support for Ukrainian families in Scotland will come from a combination of the community support that Mr MacGregor’s constituency will have offered, the support that Emma Harper has just mentioned in her question and the work that is being undertaken by the Scottish Government and our partners. That support has always been important, but it is ever more important, given the uncertainties that the people of Ukraine feel at the moment.

In short, yes. I welcome the role that the Prime Minister has taken in recent months, weeks and days—particularly intensively in recent days—to try to establish a way through the very challenging situation that we now face. The engagement with European leaders and the leaders of other countries, including the Prime Minister of Canada, has been particularly effective in drawing together a body of opinion that can help to create some of the cohesion that is required to support Ukraine at this particular moment. Those discussions are fundamental to assembling the correct approach, and I have publicly made it very clear that we support the Prime Minister in his endeavours.

There will, of course, be difficult issues that flow from the plans that the Prime Minister has set out, not least the possibility of armed personnel from this country being deployed in Ukraine. That is some way off, as we all know, but it is important that we contemplate and discuss those issues properly, fully and openly as a society with democratic scrutiny, so that we can come to the right conclusions.

I fundamentally agree with Mr Sarwar that the future of European democracy is very much in play at this moment. What happens in the course of the next few days, weeks and months will shape much of the future that lies ahead of us, and we have to make sure that we take actions that will protect the democratic values that we have all experienced during our lives and which are so precious in our society today.

First, what I said about the state visit in my statement is what I have been saying all weekend. There is nothing different about what I said to Parliament today compared with that.

The member asked about the withdrawal of US aid and the implications in relation to financial support for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. There is a very real difference between using the interest on frozen assets and using those frozen assets themselves. The Cabinet discussed that this morning, and it is the subject of discussion among European partners.

Given the basis on which Russia has invaded Ukraine, I think that it should be contemplated whether those frozen assets should be used to support Ukraine in its time of need. European leaders must consider those issues, and I am aware that those questions are being debated. However, it is reasonable to consider Mr Cole-Hamilton’s point at a time when Russia has disregarded the rule of law. That merits a response that enables us to protect the rule of law and democracy, and those issues should therefore be considered.

A number of companies in Scotland are involved in the manufacture of military equipment. Some of that military equipment is manufactured for our use here, and a lot of it is exported to other countries. Those companies make an important economic contribution to Scotland. In the conflict environment in Ukraine, they play a pivotal role in ensuring that people in Ukraine can properly defend themselves from Russian aggression. We welcome their participation in our economy, and they will be able to pursue their dialogue with the United Kingdom Government, which has responsibility for defence procurement.

As I said in my response to Russell Findlay, I have a long-standing view that we should not possess nuclear weapons, and nothing in the current environment persuades me to change that view.

I do not think that I could have been clearer about the Scottish Government’s support for the Prime Minister’s efforts. That is expressed openly and genuinely to Parliament, and I wish the Prime Minister well in what he is trying to achieve. I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge that he faces, but I wish him well in that effort. We will take whatever steps we can to support him in that dialogue, to ensure that there is cohesion and resolution, and to ensure that the security guarantees that I mentioned to Kenneth Gibson can be delivered for the people of Ukraine and that their sovereignty can be protected.

I agree with that point. The threat to our democracy and to the values that have underpinned our society is real if we are not able to address and defeat Russia’s aggression. That is the very real issue that we face as a society today, and it is so important and fundamental to the choices that we face.

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.