A Ukrainian student in Scotland has said Ukraine is “fighting for Europe” as he called on the rest of the world to support his homeland.

Ivan Babuscsak, who is studying at Napier University in Edinburgh, praised Ukrainian soldiers and said that Ukraine is a “barrier between Europe and beasts”.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks on Monday, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons forces on high alert.

Mr Babuscsak, a member of the Edinburgh branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, said the nuclear threat is “going on already, it’s not just about bombs” as nuclear power stations are under threat amid the Russian invasion.

He called for support from other nations, and told the PA news agency: “Finally, after all this help that Europe and America and Canada and other countries, now Japan today, are sending us, it’s all thanks to our soldiers, they showed for the first few days, they showed that we will fight for our country and unfortunately the western world does not realise that we, a European nation, we are going to fight for our country.

“All we need is the whole world just to support us. We don’t want any land forces from other countries, we just need the support, because what we are doing now, we are fighting for Europe now, not just for our own country.

“You would understand this if you would know Russians.”

Mr Babuscsak has been keeping in touch with his parents and relatives in Ukraine and said that people are doing all they can to help each other.

He said: “My family are in Ukraine but I’ve been lucky, my region is the only region that has not been bombed, but at the same time we’ve got a lot of refugees so all my friends are involved in any kind of volunteering, some helping with the Red Cross, some making food, doing anything they can do for people.”

All the Ukrainian people want to do is live in peace and live their lives with their families in a free society

Hannah Beaton Hawryluk, treasurer of the Edinburgh branch, has also been in touch with relatives in the Ukraine.

She said: “They are safe which is the main thing, they are in the far west but they say it’s very very scary because they can hear in the background the noise but they are not actually directly affected at the moment with the bombs.

“All the Ukrainian people want to do is live in peace and live their lives with their families in a free society.”

Ms Beaton Hawryluk, whose father moved to the UK from Ukraine after the Second World War, said it should be made easy for refugees to come here from Ukraine.

She said: “We have to make it as easy as possible because these people are not leaving their homes because they want to leave their homes, they are not leaving their homes because they want anything from us, they are leaving their homes because they are terrified and they want to protect their children, and families are being split up at the border because the men are not allowed to come out of Ukraine.

“We as the west, we have to make it a lot lot easier for these people to come over until there is a resolution and they can return to their homes.”

She also praised the generosity of people who have donated to the Ukraine fundraising appeal which can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpukraine and has raised more than £860,000 so far.