UK to look into contributing to NATO deployments in Ukraine
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With Ukraine in a very tense state in light of concerns over Russia, the UK says it is not likely to send NATO troops to provide support for their Eastern European ally.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves as he leaves Downing Street on January 19, 2022 (Reuters)
The United Kingdom will look into contributing to fresh NATO deployments in eastern Europe if the situation with Ukraine spirals, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
If Moscow "invades Ukraine," Johnson said, "we would look to contribute to any new NATO deployments to protect our allies in Europe."
He also expressed his belief that "Russia's fears" regarding security guarantees "could yet be delayed."
After allied Western leaders held talks on their concerns over Moscow, Johnson added that Russia would face sanctions "heavier than anything we've done before," in case it invade Ukraine.
Johnson also revealed that the leaders agreed they would respond to any Russian attack on Ukraine in unison by "imposing coordinated and severe economic sanctions."
Johnson, after authorizing the deployment of some 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Kyiv along with military trainers, said Ukrainians would be "dogged and tenacious" in resisting any Russian incursion.
He also went on to compare what would take place in case of an escalation to every other conflict that occurred in Europe since 1945.
"We cannot bargain away the vision of a Europe whole and free" that arose after the end of the Cold War in 1989, "because Russia has placed a gun to Ukraine's head," Johnson claimed before Parliament.
The British prime minister highlighted that it was not likely that NATO deploys combat troops in Ukraine, which is not part of the western alliance. It is "not a likely prospect in the near term," he said.
Mounting security concerns over Ukraine come as the West accuses Russia of planning an invasion of its western neighbor despite Moscow dismissing these allegations.
Russia insists that it has no intention of attacking any country, seeing the Western accusations as a pretext to deploy more NATO military equipment close to Russia's borders.
Moscow has been demanding a written commitment that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO and that the alliance would not place any strategic military equipment in certain countries in the region surrounding Russia, which was addressed in the Geneva talks between the two parties, but the West seems "reluctant," the Kremlin said.
