Hansard

I thank Colin Beattie for securing the debate and for chairing the cross-party group. I suspect that he did not foresee quite how events would unfold between his lodging of the motion on 18 February and where we are today.

Clearly, there are a number of aspects to the war in Ukraine. First, I will touch on some of the impacts in Glasgow. Across from my office, near Parkhead Cross, is St Michael’s church, which is the base for Father Andriy Chornenko, whose very long title I shall abbreviate to Vicar for Scotland of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Mass in Ukrainian takes place there every week. Partly as a result of that, I have attended a range of events over the years at both St Michael’s and Glasgow cathedral, often with Kaukab Stewart in attendance, including the marking of Ukrainian constitution day and the memorial service for the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

If there is one thing that I can say about the Ukrainians whom I have met, it is that they are very persistent. We have also seen that persistence in President Zelenskyy, in the armed forces on the front line and in civilians still living in Ukraine, and we have seen it, too, in the many Ukrainians whom we have been pleased to welcome to Scotland. I think that persistence is a very good trait, and it is especially valuable given the present circumstances.

One issue that my staff and I were happy to help with was finding suitable premises for the Glasgow branch of St Mary’s Ukrainian school. It is a Saturday school for young people from Ukraine to allow them to keep up with their language, music and culture, even though they also attend Scottish schools every Monday to Friday. Some of the families travel quite a distance to attend St Mary’s school, and it is extremely important to them. The school has limited funding and could not afford what Glasgow City Council was charging for the use of a school each week, so we were very grateful to Glasgow Clyde College when it came forward with the offer of premises at its Langside campus.

I had the privilege of being given a tour of the classes and seeing the enthusiasm of the young people, who range in age and have a range of abilities in the English language. While I was there, they were making wristbands, alongside other craft activities, and I have to say that I failed dismally to make my wristband, as did Father Chernenko. However, I was given a completed one, which I am wearing tonight, and which is in good shape.

Another example of persistence is that of a constituent whom I share with Stuart McMillan. She has impressed us both by how often she turns up at our surgeries.

On the wider issues and the war itself, it is now three years since Russia invaded. Many of us thought that Ukraine might be able to hold out for only a matter of days before being overrun. If my memory serves me correctly, the Americans offered to airlift the President and others out of the country, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy stayed on and is still there. Clearly, Ukraine is a much smaller country than Russia, and the odds were always going to be stacked against it. Even with more weapons supplies, it lacks the manpower to match its larger neighbour.

Personally, I think that war is seldom the ideal solution to disagreements between nations, which is why I wear a white poppy each November. However, there does come a time when, either as an individual or as a nation, we have to say, “Enough is enough” and take a stand, whatever the consequences might be.

When I was a youngster, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a television series called “The Flashing Blade”, and the theme song still sticks in my mind. One of the lines is:

“It’s better to have fought and lost than not have fought at all”.

That is a value that Donald Trump does not seem to understand.

I hope that there can be peace negotiations that lead to a fair and just settlement. Whatever happens, though, President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine should know that, by standing up to Russia as they have, they have won the greatest respect from Scotland and from the rest of the democratic world.