Ruth Maguire MSP has signed her name to a joint statement, released by the Cross-Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament, on the Invasion of Ukraine and the International Security Implications.
Following last week’s emergency meeting of the Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament, attended by Ruth, all Members of the Scottish Parliament were invited to add their names to the statement in support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine, calling for an immediate end to war in Ukraine, and, crucially, calling for the conflict not to escalate to the use of nuclear weapons.
The statement emphasises that “it is in the interest of the peoples of Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world that further conflict escalation is prevented, and a peaceful resolution is quickly guaranteed. Such a progression requires renewed diplomatic efforts and the maintenance of diplomatic channels between states involved, to allow for routes out of conflict.”
Read the Statement in full below:
STATEMENT FROM THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT CROSS PARTY GROUP ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT & MEMBERS OF THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
STATEMENT ON THE INVASION OF UKRAINE AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS
The members of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament call for an immediate end to war in Ukraine.
The below signatories, with deep concern, emphasise the likelihood of further conflict escalation in the scale of warfare stemming from Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. This is in specific reference to the escalation in the types of weapons used, duration of warfare, loss of life, intra-state involvement, and the displacement of peoples from their homes. We note that the European Union has warned that the war risks forcing over 7 million people to flee their homes- which would constitute the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the aftermath of the second world war, when 12 million people were displaced.
We are gravely concerned about the potential use of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical, biological. Members of the Cross-Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament fully condemn the use of nuclear weapons and any weapon of mass destruction. Such weapons are targeted against civilian populations as they are indiscriminate in nature and attempt to cause the greatest devastation possible. Furthermore, we condemn the acts of warfare against civilian populations through conventional weapons. This has already been clearly committed by Russia with missile strikes to the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday 1st March 2022, where no Ukrainian troops were based or operational.
It is in the interest of the peoples of Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world that further conflict escalation is prevented, and a peaceful resolution is quickly guaranteed. Such a progression requires renewed diplomatic efforts and the maintenance of diplomatic channels between states involved, to allow for routes out of conflict.
Amid growing tragic news of devastation to cities and the peoples of Ukraine, possibilities for turning points away from this conflict can be hard to discern. Yet they must be found.
We stand united with the people of Ukraine, their nation’s sovereignty and freedom to democracy. We condemn the actions of Putin, especially in ordering the bombardment of cities and the shooting of undefended citizens of all ages- including children, women and older people- across Ukraine. We also condemn Putin’s orders to arrest thousands of people in Russia who are protesting the war.
Alongside the citizens of Ukraine, Russia and all European countries, we remember the devastation of war on the European continent in the twentieth century. History has taught us all that war can break out uncontrollably, beyond the strategies and intentions of those yielding power.
Therefore, as members of the Scottish Parliament, we urge the involved states to continue with efforts to resolve this conflict and keep channels for diplomacy and open communication available. We urge all states to commit to no use of nuclear weapons, to re-engage with NPT commitments, and to look at all international treaties that could offer a way out of nuclear entanglement.
Crisis must be averted and escalation stopped. We are collectively facing a dangerous moment in history, which has already resulted in sorrow and pain for the people of Ukraine. This sorrow must not continue; it must not grow. Crisis aversion is still within reach. It is within the capacity of nuclear states to achieve this, and we would encourage those states who have not yet signed in support and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to do so and show good faith in pursuing a world free of nuclear weapons.
Help must be provided to the people of Ukraine. We urge states to re-engage and renew their efforts in the nuclear disarmament process and for Russia to withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
Cross Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament Signatures
Bill Kidd MSP, Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament Ross Greer MSP, Deputy Convenor
Bob Doris MSP
James Dornan MSP
Emma Harper MSP
Gillian Mackay MSP
Rona Mackay MSP
Ruth Maguire MSP
Paul McLennan MSP
Mark Ruskell MSP
Janet Fenton, Secretary
Additional MSP Signatures of Support
Karen Adam MSP
Dr Alasdair Allan MSP
Siobhan Brown MSP
Colin Beattie MSP
Stephanie Callaghan MSP
Maggie Chapman MSP
Willie Coffey MSP
Graeme Dey MSP
Jackie Dunbar MSP
ENDS
Ruth Maguire MSP 