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Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared Saturday that the United Kingdom is planning to provide NATO a “massive” deployment of troops, weaponry, warships, and fighter jets in Europe in response to escalating “Russian aggressiveness” against Ukraine.
According to his office, the proposal, which is due to be presented to NATO military chiefs next week, could see London triple the 1,150 British troops already stationed in eastern European countries and send “defensive weapons” to Estonia.
It would be “a disaster for Europe” if Russian President Putin chose “bloodshed and destruction” in Ukraine, according to the British leader.
“Ukraine must have the freedom to determine its own destiny,” he argued.
Johnson, who has been under heavy political pressure for weeks as a result of a number of scandals, said on Friday that he will speak with Putin in the coming days to seek a de-escalation in the Ukraine crisis.
In the meantime, he will be in the area next week.
After Moscow placed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s border, relations between Russia and the West have reached their lowest ebb since the Cold War.
‘Support’
In parliament on Monday, the United Kingdom’s foreign ministry is set to propose a toughening of sanctions against Russia, aimed at strategic and financial interests.
Meanwhile, once ministers debate the various alternatives on Monday, UK officials will be dispatched to Brussels, the headquarters of NATO, to finalise specifics of the military offer.
The cabinet will be briefed on the situation in Ukraine the next day by Britain’s chief of defence staff, Tony Radakin, the commander of the armed forces.
The deployment of planes, warships, military specialists, soldiers, and equipment, according to Johnson’s office, will enhance NATO’s defences and “underpin the UK’s support for Nordic and Baltic partners.”
More than 900 British military soldiers are presently stationed in Estonia, with another 100 in Ukraine as part of a training operation that began in 2015.
Meanwhile, a 150-strong light cavalry squadron is stationed in Poland.
The cruiser HMS Prince of Wales, which is presently heading NATO’s Maritime High Readiness Force in the so-called “High North” European Arctic region, is on readiness “to move within hours” if tensions increase further, Downing Street said.
On the diplomatic front, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace are planning a trip to Moscow in the coming days to meet with their counterparts, according to the report.
According to Johnson’s office, “they will be directed to build ties with President Putin’s government and support de-escalation.”
Wallace is scheduled to speak with supporters in Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia next week.
