LONDON

A UK defense minister has claimed that Scottish independence would benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin by weakening Britain’s defenses.

According to a report in the Scottish daily The National on Wednesday, Defense Procurement Minister Luke Pollard told Scottish journalists in London that removing nuclear weapons from an independent Scotland, as proposed by the government in Edinburgh, would jeopardize the UK's security.

“The thing that Putin fears most about the UK is our nuclear deterrent,” Pollard said. “So why make the argument that gives Putin a win? That removes jobs and makes Britain less secure?”

He added: “If I were sitting in the Kremlin and I were looking at the nation that is at the forefront of support for Ukraine and the Baltic states, and there was a way to erode its defense capabilities, I would regard that as a win.”

Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Dave Doogan called the comments “unbelievably crass,” accusing Pollard of exploiting the war in Ukraine for political purposes.

“Successive Westminster governments have committed to billions on nuclear bombs while cutting conventional troop numbers,” he said. “It is conventional defense forces that will protect us from the threats we face today -- not weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde.”

Doogan added that an independent Scotland could play a strong NATO role, similar to non-nuclear members like Norway and Denmark.

Pollard also criticized the Scottish government’s reluctance to invest in defense, saying: “These are good, well-paid jobs… it is a surprise we’re not seeing the Scottish Government lean into the opportunities that exist around Rosyth and the Clyde.”