Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says Putin is ‘testing our mettle’ with troop build-up near Ukraine
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says Putin is ‘testing our mettle’ with troop build-up on Ukraine borders that could last for MONTHS – but says NATO must maintain a strong response because ‘Russia only respects strength’
Ms Truss warned that Russian war games may continue near Ukraine for monthsShe said Putin is ‘testing our mettle’ and declared that NATO must not wilt The Foreign Secretary will visit Poland and Ukraine this week to show support ‘Russia only respects strength, so we will maintain a strong response,’ she saidIntelligence officials have said that they were prepared for the long haul
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Russia could drag out the crisis over Ukraine for weeks – or even months – in an attempt to undermine Western unity, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned.
Ms Truss said it was essential not to be ‘lulled into a false sense of security’ by Moscow’s claims it was beginning draw back its forces from the borders of its southern neighbour.
Her warning came after Britain’s head of military intelligence said that contrary to the assertions of the Kremlin, Russia was actually continuing to move forces into the border zone.
Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, said there have been sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital in the area.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Ms Truss, who will this week visit Ukraine and Poland in a fresh show of support for allies, said there was no evidence Moscow was ready to pull back.
‘We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by Russia claiming that some troops are returning to their barracks, while in fact the Russian military build-up shows no signs of slowing,’ she said.
‘We must have no illusions that Russia could drag this out much longer in a brazen ploy to spend weeks more – if not months – subverting Ukraine and challenging Western unity. This is a test of our mettle.’
Moscow has repeatedly denied that it has any intention of attacking Ukraine, despite massing an estimated 130,000 troops along the border.
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy again dismissed the claims as ‘fantasies’ by Western politicians.
‘This is a very ridiculous situation, there has been hysteria, even hype, fanned for several weeks by our Western colleagues,’ he told ITV’s Robert Peston.
‘They convinced each other and the whole world that Russia was about to invade, they were even naming concrete dates. So it happened in their minds, in their heads.’
Russia could drag out the crisis over Ukraine for weeks – or even months – in an attempt to undermine Western unity, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned
Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, said there have been sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital constructed by Russia close to the Ukrainian border
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy meanwhile dismissed the claims as ‘fantasies’ by Western politicians. ‘This is a very ridiculous situation, there has been hysteria, even hype, fanned for several weeks by our Western colleagues,’ he told ITV’s Robert Peston
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro in Moscow, Russia February 16, 2022
Ms Truss went on to declare that ‘Russia only respects strength’ and that the ‘free world’ will not allow Moscow to intimidate Ukraine.
‘Those in and around the Kremlin must be in no doubt that the free world will not look the other way while they mass more than 100,000 battle-ready troops along Ukraine’s borders,’ she wrote.
‘The fact is that Russia only respects strength, so we will maintain a strong response alongside our Nato allies, including the United States.
‘We cannot allow this situation to become a running sore. That is why we are providing vital support to help our Ukrainian friends defend themselves.’
Her comments come as Defence Minister Ben Wallace revealed Britain is deploying hundreds more troops to Estonia to bolster NATO’s defences close to Russia, while committing Typhoon fighter jets and Apache helicopters to strategic positions across Eastern Europe.
‘Alongside our NATO allies, we are deploying troops and assets on land, sea and air to bolster European defences in response to the build-up of Russian military forces on the border of Ukraine,’ Wallace said in a statement.
‘NATO and our allies have been clear that an invasion of Ukraine will be met with severe consequences.’
It comes as Western defence ministers met in Brussels yesterday to discuss plans to install four fresh battlegroups, each compose of 1,000 troops, along alliance’s eastern front, firstly in Romania, in a move that directly contravenes Russia’s security demand that the West reduces its military presence along its border.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the proposal is being drawn up due to Russia’s recent aggression near Ukraine and its ‘lasting impact of the security situation in Europe’.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss takes part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia February 10, 2022
Concerns that Russian troops are not withdrawing from the borders of Ukraine as promised were met with a strong response from Britain, as Defence Minister Ben Wallace deployed hundreds more troops to Estonia to bolster NATO’s defences (British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace attends the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting in Brussels, Belgium on February 16, 2022)
Four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 have arrived at RAF Akrotiri after transiting from the UK. UK’s substantial contribution to NATO’s uplift in Eastern Europe is strengthening the Alliance’s Defences on land, sea and air, amid ongoing tensions with Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss meet in Moscow, Russia on February 10, 2022
Vladimir Putin has insisted that Russia is ‘ready to go down the negotiations track’ with the West – opening up the possibility of talks on arms control, military transparency and other measures aimed at reducing tensions
Footage released by Ukraine Armed Forces on Wednesday Feb 16, 2022 shows a code-named Blizzard 2022 command-staff military exercise in Rivne Region, Ukraine, near the border with Belarus amid fears of a possible Russian invasion
Ukraine’s air force has been conducting military drills and missile test launches at the Povursk airfield in the Volyn region as part of the command and staff training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Hockenhull said: ‘Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine.
‘This includes sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine’s borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine.’
It comes as Western officials reported concerns that Russia’s war games close to the Ukrainian border could rumble on for months.
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Kristina Kvien, last night said she was ‘very concerned’ the Kremlin could launch an attack ‘within the next week’.
But after yesterday’s predicted date for an invasion passed, Moscow was accused of creating a ‘new normal’, with military force being used to bully and intimidate – keeping up the pressure on Ukraine and keeping the West on high alert.
Intelligence officials said they were prepared for the long haul and fear there will be no let-up in Russia’s war games, cyber-attacks and disinformation for many months.
They said President Vladimir Putin’s 150,000-strong invasion force is to stay camped around its neighbour and may even launch ballistic missiles as part of its menacing military drills.
Moscow’s claimed withdrawal came to a halt when this Lada ran into an armoured convoy on Crimea’s Putin Bridge
Intelligence officials said President Vladimir Putin’s 150,000-strong invasion force is to stay camped around its neighbour and may even launch ballistic missiles as part of its menacing military drills
Ukraine forces engaged in military training drills near the border with Belarus
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that, despite Kremlin claims of a second day of troop withdrawals, Britain was actually seeing Putin’s forces move to ‘attack areas’.
At a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels – including Mr Wallace – Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s use of military force to contest sovereignty was ‘the new normal’.
He said: ‘There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue, but so far we do not see any sign of de-escalation on the ground.’
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one security source said: ‘President Putin’s military is his most powerful tool but not his only one, cyber, disinformation and rhetoric are others, there’s a constant drum beat.
‘Russian military exercises will continue for many weeks and I expect things to remain really confusing and ambiguous. Russia is also likely to fire ballistic missiles eastwards from its bases in Belarus as part of these exercises.’
Ukraine yesterday reacted to the latest configuration of Russian forces by moving troops closer to the border.
Another official said: ‘Ukrainian troops are… up for the fight. We are in this for several months.’
The intelligence picture remains that Ukraine is effectively encircled, with Russian troops in Moldova, Belarus and Russia itself posing an immediate threat, while naval vessels in the Black Sea threaten southern cities such as Odessa.
Russian state news agency Tass confirmed there would be no withdrawal from Russia’s border with Ukraine for ‘three to four weeks’.
Officials said they were prepared for the long haul and fear there will be no let-up in Russia’s war games, cyber-attacks and disinformation for many months
US President Joe Biden speaks in the White House about Russian military activity near Ukraine
However, troops may leave Belarus before then. Bilateral exercises are due to end there on Monday.
Yesterday, Moscow mocked the West’s attempts to anticipate its actions, with a Kremlin spokesman inviting more predictions so she could arrange her holidays around them.
British troops landed in Estonia last night to shore up the country’s defences over fears Putin could target the Baltic States.
The UK is doubling its personnel numbers and sending tanks and armoured fighting vehicles from the Royal Welsh battlegroup.
The Ministry of Defence declined to say how many UK soldiers are now in Estonia but it is thought to be in the high hundreds.
An MoD statement published yesterday evening read: ‘The UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles. The troops and equipment will begin to move to Estonia today.
‘The Royal Welsh battlegroup, which includes armoured vehicles and personnel, will leave Sennelager in Germany and bases in the UK and begin to arrive in Estonia during the coming week. Apache helicopters will soon be making their way to conduct exercises with our Allies and partners in Eastern Europe.
‘Four additional UK Typhoon jets have also landed in Cyprus and will shortly begin to patrol the skies with NATO Allies in Eastern Europe.
‘HMS Trent – a UK Warship – has already begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea alongside NATO Allies from Canada, Italy, Spain and Turkey. HMS Diamond is preparing to set sail in the coming days for the Eastern Mediterranean and will join up with NATO allies.’
