A UKRAINIAN MP has welcomed the news that the Scottish Government will provide £65 million in military aid to her country.
Kira Rudik, an MP in Ukraine’s parliament, welcomed the announcement from Finance Secretary Kate Forbes that the Scottish Government would be adding to the more than £7m already given in financial aid and medical supplies.
In a post on social media Rudik, who visited Scotland this month, wrote: “Another step to our victory. The Scottish Government will allocate £65m to support the armed forces of Ukraine.
“Usually the country does not allocate funds for military purposes. We have become an exception. [A] friend in need is a friend indeed.”
Thanking the Scottish Government for its support throughout the Russian invasion she added: “Scotland stands for democracy and freedom. And since the beginning of the full-scale invasion she has stated that it condemns Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“Maximising efforts and working together with allies leads us to victory”
The package will make up part of the £1 billion being provided by the UK for state of the art military equipment, such as air defence systems and kit for soldiers.
Forbes said that the funding was required to help the Ukrainian army deal with the “unspeakable brutality” being committed by Russian forces.
She said: “Scotland has been clear from the start that we condemn Russia’s unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine. Scotland stands for democracy, human rights and the rule of law at home and abroad.
“This further funding is to assist Ukrainian armed forces to fight Russian aggression and the unspeakable brutality being perpetrated.
“We have agreed to providing funding on this occasion given the clear need to maximise the international effort to support Ukraine.
Ukrainian MP and @GolosZmin leader, @kiraincongress, welcomes @scotgov announcement of financial support to Ukraine’s armed forces. 🏴🤝🇺🇦 https://t.co/TGDG03F2L3 pic.twitter.com/PwXLMqiCyh
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) June 30, 2022
“However, we are clear that this must not be seen as any kind of precedent which leads to devolved budgets being used to help pay for clearly reserved policy areas.”
Rudik is leader of the liberal party in Ukraine, and was joined by fellow Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko and UN ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya in welcoming the “unprecedented” funding from the Scottish Government.
