Scottish leaders united in solidarity with Ukraine

All five leaders of the party’s represented at Holyrood have spoken out in support of Ukraine, following Russia’s invasion on the country in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Speaking ahead of the weekly FMQs session, Nicola Sturgeon condemned the “imperialist aggression of Vladimir Putin”.

She said the military action being taken by the country meant democracy itself was under attack.

The First Minister 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.

"The world must now help and equip Ukraine to defend itself and resist Russian aggression. We must ensure humanitarian aid and assistance and we must all stand ready to offer refuge and sanctuary where necessary for those who may be displace.”

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the news of the invasion made clear war was Putin’s “only intention” from the start of the aggression.

He said: “I always thought and hoped that war on this scale in Europe was something I would only know of through history lessons in school, but sadly after this morning it is part of our daily lives once again.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for “urgent humanitarian assistance” to be provided to the people of Ukraine.

He said: “Peace and democracy must prevail, and we will not bend to Vladimir Putin’s imperial ambitions. Our first actions now must be to support the Ukrainian people.”

Both Green leader Patrick Harvie and Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton also called for Scotland to play its part in taking in any people displaced by the violence.

Harvie said: “It seems inevitable now that there will also be a significant flow of refugees from Ukraine in the coming days, weeks and months. I trust that Scotland stands ready to play our part to support them in any way we can.”

Cole-Hamilton said: “We must be prepared to offer all those fleeing that conflict safe harbour in the villages and towns of Scotland.”

After the exchanges about the situation in Ukraine, Sturgeon faced pressure over Audit Scotland’s recent report into the NHS.

The public body watchdog said the health service remained under severe pressure with growing patient backlogs and long waiting times.

Auditor general Stephen Boyle said the government must prioritise reform and recovery to address these concerns.

Boyle said: “For that to happen, our leaders must take the public with them and involve them in the shift from care being delivered in hospitals to much closer to people's homes. But better-informed policy decisions and services won't be possible without better collection and use of data.”

Douglas Ross said the report was a “damning verdict” of the recovery plan, while Anas Sarwar said it “paints a devastating picture of Scotland’s NHS”.

The First Minister said the report was “very fair” and “very challenging,” adding the government was committed to investing in the health service to help it recover from the pandemic.