| Boris says move will send a ‘clear message’ to Putin | Meanwhile Russian troops mass at Ukraine border
Dm Monitoring
LONDON: The United Kingdom is considering a major NATO deployment in a plan to strengthen Europe’s borders amid rising “Russian hostility” towards Ukraine, after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to the country’s border.
The UK has said that any Russian incursion into Ukraine would be met with swift sanctions and would be devastating for both sides.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit the region next week, and is also expected to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. “This package would send a clear message to the Kremlin – we will not tolerate their destabilising activity, and we will always stand with our NATO allies in the face of Russian hostility,” Johnson said in a statement late on Saturday.
The offer could double the number of UK troops in eastern Europe and see “defensive weapons” sent to Estonia, Johnson’s office said. There are about 1,150 UK troops in the region at the moment. “I have ordered our Armed Forces to prepare to deploy across Europe next week, ensuring we are able to support our NATO allies,” Johnson said.
Officials will finalise the details of the offer at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, this week, with ministers discussing the military options on Monday. The head of the armed forces will brief the UK cabinet on the situation in Ukraine the following day. With Russian troops massed on the border with Ukraine, tensions have risen, and relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Russia has also sent more troops to the frontier with Belarus, which lies to the north of Ukraine, as it steps up demands for wide-ranging security guarantees, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.
