UK to deploy 20,000 troops to NATO military drill to practice repelling a Russian invasion
The UK will send 20,000 troops to one of NATO’s biggest military drills since the Cold War as the alliance practices repelling an invasion by Russian forces, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce today.
Army, navy and RAF personnel will be deployed to the 31-nation Steadfast Defender exercise in a bid to provide “vital reassurance against the menace” of Vladimir Putin, Mr Shapps will say in a speech.
The defence secretary will also warn the West stands at a “crossroads” as he unveils the UK’s contribution to the war games in an address at Lancaster House.
Speaking to Sky News’ Kay Burley, Mr Shapps echoed warnings from his cabinet colleague Lord Cameron, who said on Sunday “the lights are absolutely flashing red on the global dashboard” due to “so much danger and insecurity and instability in the world”.
“Not only have you got the the state, so the Putins of this world and Iran… but you’ve also now got the non-state actors as well, that sort of terrorism that we saw [at] the beginning of this century, individual actors,” said the defence secretary.
“And because of that, this is a more unstable and difficult world. And that’s really the big theme of the speech that I’m making this morning.”
Russia-Ukraine war latest updates
Mr Shapps will set out his vision for how the UK will rebuff potential threats as allies remain concerned over the danger posed by the Kremlin, with the war against Ukraine now approaching its second year.
He is expected to say: “We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation, whenever the call comes.
“Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being drawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine’s lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads.”
Around 16,000 troops, together with tanks, artillery and helicopters, will be sent by the British Army from across Eastern Europe, starting from next month.
The Royal Navy will deploy more than 2,000 sailors across eight warships and submarines, while more than 400 Royal Marine Commandoes will be sent to the Arctic Circle.
The RAF will use F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft.
F-35B Lightning II aircraft, seen on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth moored in Limassol, Cyprus, in 2021
The exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor, defence sources said.
But the main threats being considered are from Russia and terrorists.
‘Much more needs to be done to protect ourselves’
Speaking at a press conference last September, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said of the exercise: “In 2024, the alliance will be holding its largest collective defence exercise since the Cold War: Steadfast Defender.
“Over 40,000 troops from across the alliance will exercise in Germany, Poland and the three Baltic states.”
“A new era of collective defence is upon us,” he continued.
“And NATO military authorities have been preparing for this era for years.
“We have never been stronger or readier.
“And yet… much more needs to be done in order to not only protect ourselves against current threats, but also against reconstituted threats and potential future threats.”
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Sunak: ‘Putin will not outlast us’
Read more:
Russia and Ukraine both running out of ammo – but one has advantage
David Cameron warns of ‘danger and instability’ in the world
Starmer warns of threat Putin poses to Europe and the UK
Mr Shapp’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday to unveil a further £2.5bn support package for Ukraine in 2024-25 – an increase of £200m on the previous two years.
Mr Sunak and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed a new security agreement committing the UK to provide “swift and sustained” assistance if Ukraine is ever attacked by Russia again.
In total since the war began, the UK will have provided almost £12bn of aid to Ukraine, the prime minister said.
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Mr Sunak vowed the UK would continue to stand with Ukraine, telling an audience: “Ukraine is not alone, and Ukraine will never be alone.
“Putin might think that he can outlast us but he is wrong.
“We stand with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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