Following a meeting of COSLA’s full Convention today (Friday) the COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison has written to His Excellency Andrei Kelin, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom to express Scottish Local Government’s horror at the events unfolding in Ukraine

Speaking tonight following the meeting, the COSLA President said:  “The COSLA Convention - the largest political gathering of local leaders in Scotland - unanimously agreed I put on record that Scottish Local Government expresses our full support to and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and our peers in local and regional government.

“The inevitable suffering being, and yet to be, caused to local communities across Ukraine by the Russian military invasion cannot be ignored.  What is happening now in Kyiv, twinned with Edinburgh from where I chaired today’s meeting, is both frightening and heart-breaking.

“We in Scottish Local Government stand ready to open our arms to those in Ukraine and help them in whatever way we can.”

The letter concluded by calling on the Federation of Russia to cease its attack, to leave the national territory of Ukraine, and to respect all international treaties and fundamental principles of international law.