Joe Duggan reports in inews.co.uk that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering deploying Royal Navy warships and RAF fighter jets to protect southeastern Europe as Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s borders. Vladimir Putin is assembling the “biggest military build-up in Europe since the Cold War”, the Prime Minister warned, as he cautioned Moscow against “inflicting still greater destruction and bloodshed” on Ukraine.
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RAF Eurofighter Typhoon II in formation with a USAF Boeing B-52H Stratofortress (Picture source: RAF)

The UK is also preparing to reinforce the British-led Nato battlegroup in Estonia and the Joint Expeditionary Force, comprising units from ten Scandinavian and northern European countries, Boris Johnson said. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday announced that the UK was sending an extra 350 Royal Marines to Poland to show the two countries “stand side by side” amid the tensions. There are 100 British troops in Ukraine to provide training, with 900 British forces leading a Nato battle group in Estonia.

“Because of his build-up, America, France, Italy and other allies are deploying forces to Nato’s south-eastern flank, just as the UK reinforces the northeast”, Boris Johnson said, adding that ”there could not be a more compelling argument for the necessity of Nato than the sight of Russian tanks invading a European country once again”.

Following a five-hour meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, February 7, Vladimir Putin warned that European countries would be immediately dragged into a military conflict with Russia if Ukraine joins NATO and tries to retake Crimea (or Donbas), as article 5 of the NATO treaty implies automatic solidarity in case a member is under attack.