Nicola Sturgeon has spelled out her firm belief that Scotland must join NATO if the country votes for independence in the future.
The First Minister used a keynote speech in Washington DC on Monday to insist the war in Ukraine had strengthened her conviction that membership of the defence alliance was "absolutely right and essential".
Appearing at the Brookings Institution - a well-known American think-tank - she explained how the SNP had ditched its previous opposition to NATO membership in 2012.
It comes as Finland and Sweden - two countries previously opposed to joining the alliance - declared in recent days they would now seek to join in response to Vladimir Putin's aggression.
But Sturgeon's resolute commitment to NATO membership puts the SNP at odds with the Scottish Greens - the party it shares power with at Holyrood.
Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie earlier told the Record there was "no appetite" among his party's members to reverse their opposition to joining the defence alliance.
Speaking in Washington, Sturgeon said: "Two of Scotland's northern neighbours, Sweden and Finland, now seem firmly on track to join the alliance - and with a level of public support that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.
"That is highly relevant to Scotland.
"The party I lead, the Scottish National Party, determined back in 2012 - at that time, a reversal of a long-standing tradition - that should Scotland become independent, it should seek membership of NATO.
"There is no doubt the events of the last three months have strengthened my conviction that this position is absolutely the right and essential one.
"I'm even more firm in my view today that, coupled with a strong relationship with the United Kingdom and membership of the EU, that membership of NATO would be the cornerstone of an independent Scotland's security policy.
"The Scottish Government is acutely aware of Scotland's strategic position on the northern edge of Europe, close to the Arctic.
"Russian military aircraft regularly approach the UK's area of interest and in recent years there has been an increase of Russian submarine patrols within the north Atlantic.
"So we are clearer than ever that membership of NATO would not only be vital to Scotland's security, it would also be the principle way in which an independent Scotland in an interdependent world would contribute to the collective security of our neighbours and allies."
The SNP and Greens are both committed to removing nuclear weapons from Scotland if the country voted for independence in the future.
Reacting to Sturgeon's speech, Stephen Kerr, a Scottish Conservative MSP, said: "We are already a member of NATO.
"We have the trust of the Baltic countries, Ukraine and Poland as a defender of their sovereignty.
"Nicola wants to destroy that. No wonder it's said Putin would celebrate IndyRef2."
The First Minister is due to meet congressional leaders and representatives on Tuesday before flying back to Scotland.
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