THE UK is ready to deploy further boots on the ground to back up Nato’s frontier, Sir Keir Starmer vowed following Vladimir Putin’s drone attack on Poland.
The staunch commitment came after it was revealed the Russian drones were on a “direct path” to a Nato base before they were shot down by Warsaw on Wednesday.
AFPBritish soldiers are ready to be deployed to Nato’s frontier[/caption]
It comes after Russian drones landed in Poland
APPutin launched a drone attack into Nato airspace on Wednesday[/caption]
PASir Keir Starmer said he is ready to deploy more troops to Nato’s frontier[/caption]
It marked the first time since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Nato has directly engaged with Vlad’s forces – and sparked the defence alliance to trigger Article 4.
Following calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, Sir Keir confirmed the UK “stood ready to support any further Nato deployments to the region”.
No10 said: “In both calls, the leaders condemned the shocking Russian violation of NATO and Poland’s airspace yesterday.”
They added: “On wider European security, Chancellor Merz and the Prime Minister underscored the importance of defending NATO from both conventional and hybrid threats posed by Russia.”
Downing Street also said that Russia was “continuing to ramp up its aggression” by stepping up attacks through a “campaign of increasingly belligerent actions”.
They cited the devastating strike of the Council of Minister’s last week, as well as the attacks on “diplomatic missions in Kyiv“.
The Polish site the drones were thought to have been targeting on Wednesday is a military supply hub for Ukraine, German newspaper Die Welt reported.
Citing a high-ranking Nato officer the paper said: “Based on current information, we assume that the drones most likely intentionally entered Nato airspace.”
According to Zelensky, the swooping drones were a “test” by Russia to see how Nato allies would respond.
Answering calls from Poland and Ukraine, the UK yesterday vowed it would step up to meet Putin’s challenge and Nato vowed to defend “every inch” of allied land.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also vowed to modernise his country’s already $35billion-strong military after Russia’s “deliberate” drone invasion.
In an address to troops at an air base in the central city of Lask, he said Poland is due to receive its first F-35 fighter jets from the US next year.
It will be the first delivery of the 32 aircrafts expected by 2030 as the country continues to beef up its defence in the face of Russian threats.
Tusk said: “We will do everything to ensure that our allied obligations, which are so important from our point of view today, are fulfilled by our allies.”
Defence Secretary John Healey condemned Russia’s “reckless, dangerous and unprecedented” escalation after meeting with E5 defence officials from Germany, France and Italy – with Poland‘s defence minister diverted by the crisis.
AFPUkraine is still being pummelled by Russian air assaults almost every day[/caption]
FacebookOne of several drones which landed in Poland[/caption]
He said: “Following our discussions today, I’ve asked our UK Armed Forces to look at options to bolster Nato’s air defence over Poland.”
The UK already has around 300 troops in Poland as part of a “regular air policing mission” – and Healey vowed to “do what we can” to make that more robust.
That could mean increasing the number of boots on the ground in the eastern European nation.
Healey added: “Russia’s actions are reckless, they’re dangerous, they’re unprecedented. We see what Putin is doing. Yet again he is testing us. Yet again we will stand firm.”
Sir Keir Starmer condemned Russia’s “egregious and unprecedented violation” of Nato airspace and slammed it as proof of Putin’s “blatant disregard for peace”.
What is Article 4?
ARTICLE 4 is a clause in Nato’s founding treaty which states all allies must come together when the security or territory of one is threatened.
Under this clause, members can bring any issue of concern to the table to be discussed.
Since the Alliance’s creation in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked eight times.
Following Russia’s drone incursion into Polish air space, PM Tusk made a request for Article 4 and said: “Allies are resolved to defend every inch of allied territory.”
Nato chief Mark Rutte said the Security Council met yesterday morning to discuss Poland’s request.
He said he had spoken to Polish PM Donald Tusk to show Britain’s support, adding: “My sincere thanks go to the NATO and Polish forces who rapidly responded to protect the Alliance.”
No10 also confirmed the RAF played no part in the Nato emergency response to the Russian drones, after our six Typhoons were rotated out of Poland in July.
Poland’s Prime Minster Donald Tusk said 19 Russian drones sailed across the border amid an onslaught against western Ukraine, taking his country to the “closest to conflict since WW2”.
He said four were shot down by Nato fighter jets – understood to be from Poland, Italy, the Netherland the US – and officials later said seven had been found on the ground.
Kremlin spokespeople have denied there is any evidence the drones were Russian, and even outrageously implied they had been launched by Kyiv.
APAuthorities stand by a house damaged by a drone on Thursday[/caption]
ReutersExplosions are seen in the night sky in Ukraine, Wednesday[/caption]
GettyBritish troops are already supporting Nato’s frontier[/caption]
Calling for action from allies, Zelensky said it set an “extremely dangerous precedent for Europe“.
“A strong response is needed and it can only be a joint response by all partners: Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans, the United States,” he said.
Nato chief Mark Rutte said the Security Council met on Thursday morning to discuss Poland’s request for Article 4.
Article 4 is a clause in Nato’s founding treaty which states all allies must come together when the security or territory of one is threatened.
Rutte said: “Allies are resolved to defend every inch of allied territory.”
APPolice inspect a drone in Poland fired from Russia[/caption]
GettyThe UK has pledged to send more support as the situation escalates[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
