Great Britain will propose to NATO a "
major
" deployment of troops, warships and fighter planes in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday January 29, who thus wants to respond to the rise in "
Russian hostility
" towards Ukraine.
Read alsoIn the sights of Moscow, Sweden and Finland flirt with NATO
The proposal, which is expected to be made at a meeting of NATO military chiefs next week, could see London double the British contingent of some 1,150 soldiers currently deployed in Eastern Europe and supply "
defensive weapons
" to Estonia, according to the Prime Minister's office.
We will not tolerate their destabilizing activity, and we will always stand with our NATO allies in the face of Russian hostility.
Boris Johnson
"
This set of measures would send a clear message to the Kremlin - we will not tolerate their destabilizing activity, and we will always stand with our NATO allies in the face of Russian hostility
," he said in a statement. press release released Saturday evening. “
I have instructed our armed forces to prepare to deploy troops to Europe next week, so as to be able to provide land, air and naval support to our NATO allies
,” stressed Boris Johnson.
If Russian President Vladimir Putin were to choose the path
of "bloodshed and destruction
" in Ukraine, it would be a "
tragedy for all of Europe
"
,
he added.
“
Ukraine must remain free to choose its own future
”.
Relations between Russia and the West at an all-time low
Boris Johnson, who has been under intense political pressure for several weeks after a series of scandals linked to parties in Downing Street during the confinements, said on Friday that he would call Vladimir Putin in the coming days to urge him to "
step back
and engage more in diplomatic ways about Ukraine. The head of the British government must also make a trip to the region in the coming days.
Relations between Russia and the West have reached their lowest point since the Cold War.
Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine's borders in recent months, raising fears of an invasion.
While the Russian government denies any such plans, it insists on written guarantees for Russia's security, including the promise that Ukraine will not join NATO.
British diplomacy must announce Monday in Parliament a toughening of its sanctions regime to allow the United Kingdom, accused of turning a blind eye to the influx of Russian funds on its soil, to target strategic and financial interests of Moscow.