Cole-Hamilton marks two years of assault on Ukraine with call for sanctions clampdown

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today marked two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by urging the UK and Scottish governments to expand their support for the country.

Mr Cole-Hamilton is calling on the UK government to widen sanctions against those on the “Navalny list” and for the Scottish Government to deliver transparency over who owns land in Scotland as well as to support the 1 in 10 Ukrainians in Scotland who remain in temporary accommodation.

On 11am on Saturday 24th February he will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle to commemorate the Ukrainians who have died in the fighting.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, who was included on a list of British politicians and journalists banned from entering the Russian Federation in August 2022, said:

“This weekend my thoughts will be with those Ukrainians bravely fighting for their country and its future.

“It’s easy to forget but in February 2022 Alex Salmond was still broadcasting on Putin’s propaganda channel and the overwhelming consensus was the Russian troops would be in Kyiv by the end of the week. Instead, the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine still flies proudly.

“Two years on, there should be no let-up in British resolve. It is not an act of charity to supply Ukraine with the tools it needs to defeat Putin but one of self-interest: If the Russian dictator is not defeated on the battlefield in Ukraine, we will eventually have to face him again elsewhere.

“We should be working with our European allies to increase military support and the UK Government should be delivering tough sanctions on every individual on the Navalny List. They must take action immediately to freeze and begin to seize the assets of anyone found to be one of Putin’s enablers.

“For the Scottish Government there is work to be done too. 1 in 10 Ukrainians remain in temporary accommodation and concerns remain that our land registry allows oligarchs to slip under the radar.

 “My time as a host for Ukrainians fleeing Putin has left a lasting mark. Both of our governments should be doing more to support the people of Ukraine.”