Meeting of the Parliament 22 February 2023
In the spirit of the previous speech, perhaps I should declare an interest as a fellow member of the Scottish Parliament proudly sanctioned by the Putin regime.
I note the support of Jenni Minto’s constituents in Argyll and Bute and, indeed, the support of people across Scotland in seeking justice and accountability for Russia’s war against Ukraine, and I commend the contributions by Jenni Minto, Collette Stevenson, Alexander Burnett, Sarah Boyack and Stephen Kerr.
Let me be clear at the outset: Scotland utterly condemns Russia’s barbaric and illegal war against Ukraine and its people. From the very outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Scottish Government, all parties in the Scottish Parliament, our local authorities, our community organisations and Scottish families have supported Ukraine and Ukrainians. We successfully lobbied the UK Government to agree to a supersponsor scheme and provided £7 million-worth of support in cash and in kind for basic humanitarian assistance in respect of health, water, sanitation and shelter for people fleeing Ukraine.
We are appalled by the reports of atrocities in Ukraine. Intentionally directing missile attacks against civilians and civilian objects constitutes a war crime. Two weeks ago, President Zelenskyy stood on the steps of Westminster Hall and spoke of “a coalition of values” where justice must prevail. I agree with him, as I am sure all colleagues who have spoken in the debate do.
Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine reminds us how fragile the post-1945 rules-based international order remains and how real the threat to global peace and human rights is. For my generation, the prospect of war on such a scale returning to Europe seemed unthinkable until Russia’s full-scale invasion 12 months ago.
The Scottish Government agrees that those responsible for atrocities committed in Ukraine, including military commanders and other individuals in the Putin regime, must be held accountable. We support the action of the United Kingdom and 42 other countries in referring atrocities committed in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court. The ICC investigation is under way, and we call on all nations to assist it.
The Scottish Government also supports Ukraine’s application to institute proceedings against the Russian Federation before the International Court of Justice under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. I agree with the President of the European Commission, who emphasised in Kyiv recently the importance of justice, and I welcome her intent to co-ordinate the collection of evidence via an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine in The Hague.