Sturgeon condemns ‘Putin’s unprovoked, imperialist aggression’ in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin must “feel the wrath of the democratic world” after Russia mounted a “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The Scottish First Minister said that Russian military action there meant that Ukraine’s “very existence as an independent democracy was now under attack”.

And she made clear she condemned “in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked, imperialist aggression of Vladimir Putin”.

Ms Sturgeon had earlier tweeted that President Putin must face the “severest consequences” for his “unprovoked aggression” in Ukraine after explosions rocked its capital Kyiv and other cities this morning.

And, at the start of First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, she called for tougher action, including the expulsion of Russian agents from other nations.

My statement in @ScotParl on the invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇦 https://t.co/jMPyVQzDjt

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) February 24, 2022

Speaking about the Russian president, Ms Sturgeon said: “There can be no doubt he must face the severest of consequences.

“Sanctions on him and his network of oligarch and agents, their expulsion from countries across the world, sanctions on his banks and their ability to borrow and function, sanctions on his energy and mineral companies and, here in the UK, immediate clean-up of the swirl of dirty Russian money in the city of London.”

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But she added: “Just as Putin must face and feel the wrath of the democratic world, the people of Ukraine must feel and not just hear our support and our solidarity.”

She called on nations across the world to “help and equip” Ukraine to “defend itself and resist Russian aggression”.

Humanitarian aid must also be put in place for Ukraine, she added, saying countries should “all stand ready to offer refuge and sanctuary wherever necessary for those who may be displaced”.

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She described the crisis in the Ukraine as being “perhaps the most dangerous and potentially most defining moment since the Second World War”.

Ms Sturgeon, who on Wednesday met the acting consul general of Ukraine, Yevhen Mankovskyi, declared: “Future generations will judge the actions the world takes in this moment.

“There are, of course, many complexities but at its most fundamental this is a clash between oppression and autocracy on the one hand, and freedom and democracy on the other.

“We must all ensure that freedom and democracy prevail.”