Scottish First Minister John Sweeney has said he is not convinced the UK is sufficiently protected from potential Russian threats. In an interview with the BBC, he said the British government, which is responsible for defence, does not have enough of a “presence“ in vulnerable areas off the Scottish coast.
“I am not convinced the UK is protected from Russian threats“, Sweeney said. He said the waters north of the Shetland Islands, where he said there was significant Russian activity, were of particular concern.
MI5 warnings
Sweeney said he was “deeply concerned” from the statement of the director of the British intelligence service MI5 Ken McCallum. This week McCallum defined Russia as the “number one aggressor“ and warned of the risks to the country's security.
The BBC recalled that Faslane, west of Glasgow, is home to the UK's nuclear submarine fleet. Against this background, the issue of the security of the sea approaches to Scotland is among the topics raised by Sweeney.
The position on Scottish independence
The interview was given before the annual conference of the Scottish National Party, whose leader is Sweeney. He rejected the claim that Scottish independence would weaken its security.
“More choices“ would give Scotland independence, according to the first minister. He said that a future Scottish government would be committed to investing in defense, including nuclear deterrence.
Sweeney also stressed that the goal was not to escalate tensions with Russia, but to better protect the country and have greater freedom in making security decisions.
Sources: bnrnews.bg