Because of the tense situation in Ukraine, Great Britain is considering sending fresh troops. This could strengthen NATO’s defenses, government circles in London said on Saturday night. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will examine these measures “to curb growing Russian aggression in the region” at the weekend. The newspaper “Times” reported that more soldiers are possible for Eastern Europe, but also more combat aircraft and warships.
Johnson plans to travel to the area soon and also plans to make calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin. An exact destination was not mentioned for the time being. He will be accompanied by Secretary of State Liz Truss, who is planning a visit to Ukraine and will also visit Moscow within the next two weeks. Government circles also said that the British Foreign Office wants to tighten its sanctions against Russia on Monday. This was intended to meet Russia’s “strategic and financial interests,” it said.
According to a report by The Times, the United States is concerned that London will not be able to decide on harsh economic measures against Moscow. Great Britain has tolerated suspicious investments from Russia for years. Above all Russian oligarchs invest a lot of money in London with close ties to the Kremlin. If these sums were withdrawn because of British sanctions, this could hit the financial metropolis hard.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned that Russia could attempt to use massive cyberattacks and release compromising or harmful information to divide the West and sow confusion. Wallace is traveling to Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Croatia for talks next week.