First Minister John Swinney has said it is in “Scotland’s interest” that he meets US President Donald Trump.
Mr Swinney said he had an “obligation” to “protect and promote” the nation, with the meeting also an opportunity to discuss tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine.
The SNP leader will meet Mr Trump later this month when he is expected to visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire.
Mr Trump will also meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Aberdeen, he has said.
The president’s private visit to Scotland will come ahead of his state visit to the UK in September.
Mr Swinney said: “I’ve taken a decision that’s in Scotland’s interest to meet with the president of the United States so that I can use every opportunity to protect and to promote the interests of the people of Scotland.
“There’s obviously a range of issues that we can cover around the international situation that’s causing such anxiety to people in Scotland, around the situation in the Middle East, and the situation in Ukraine, and the domestic issues that are important to us around about the implications of, for example, trade and tariffs on some of our key sectors, including Scotch whisky.
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“So, I think people in Scotland would expect their first minister to meet with the president of the United States to put forward Scotland’s position.”
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he would go to Aberdeen, which he said was the “oil capital of Europe”.
The president said: “They have so much oil there. They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.
“[Because] the windmills are really detrimental to the beauty of Scotland and every other place they go up.”
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Asked about those comments, Mr Swinney said he supported renewables in Scotland, which he said was key to the future of the country.
He said: “There’s going to be different views expressed by different political leaders, and I’m a supporter of renewable energy.
“I think it’s important that we use the opportunities that we have in Scotland to capture the natural and sustainable energy that surrounds us and it’s all around us, and we should take those opportunities, which the Scottish government has done in a sustainable way.
“We’ve got to protect the planet. We’ve got to protect our communities, and that’s at the heart of the government’s agenda in Scotland.”
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The Scottish Greens, who were previously in government with the SNP, have criticised Mr Swinney for his plans to meet the president. Outgoing co-leader Patrick Harvie said the meeting was “tragic” and “out of step with Scotland’s values”.
Mr Swinney said: “The people of the United States have elected their president, and that’s their choice, and he’s coming to visit Scotland.
“And I think for me, my obligation of what members of the public would expect of their first minister is for me to engage with the leader of the United States to protect and to promote the interests of Scotland.”
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Scottish Secretary Ian Murray also defended Mr Swinney’s decision to meet Mr Trump, along with the prime minister’s decision, saying it was “the right thing to do”.
Mr Murray added: “We should make sure we are working very closely with our allies for the benefit of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.”
