AP Interview: Scottish leader stresses independence, NATO

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ANNA JOHNSON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scotland’s leader says the Russian war in Ukraine only makes Scotland’s drive for independence from the U.K. more important. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on her first U.S. visit since the COVID-19 lockdown. Sturgeon says the crisis posed by Russia’s war demands that Scotland play its “full part” in ensuring stability and security in Europe. She says her government still plans to hold a new referendum on Scottish independence by the end of next year. And she calls NATO membership essential for an independent Scotland. Her U.S. visit is focusing on Scotland’s rapid domestic transition to renewable energy. Scotland in 2020 generated almost all its electricity from renewables.