British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the United Kingdom is considering doubling the number of its troops deployed in Eastern Europe to send a ‘clear message to the Kremlin’.
According to the BBC, Johnson’s comment came as Britain’s defence and foreign secretaries prepared to meet their counterparts in Moscow to encourage de-escalation.
The report said Johnson was expected to phone Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days, and was also to visit Eastern Europe this week.
The prime minister said the UK would not tolerate Russian ‘destabilising activity, and we will always stand with our Nato allies’.
‘If President Putin chooses a path of bloodshed and destruction, it will be a tragedy for Europe. Ukraine must be free to choose its own future,’ he said.
‘I have ordered our armed forces to prepare to deploy across Europe next week, ensuring we are able to support our Nato allies on land, at sea and in the air.’
The UK has more than 900 military personnel based in Estonia, more than 100 in Ukraine as part of a training mission, while a light cavalry squadron numbering about 150 is deployed to Poland.
Russia has placed about 100 000 troops, tanks, artillery and missiles near Ukraine’s border, but denies it plans to invade the former Soviet republic, which borders both Russia and the EU.
[Image: OPCW, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80625773]