Russia is readying for an invasion of Ukraine. Kiev says that 100,000 Russian troops have now amassed at their eastern border, and the CIA thinks that Putin could have 175,000 soldiers stationed for an offensive by the end of January.
If conflict comes, it now seems certain that Ukraine will be fighting alone. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, told Andrew Neil on Spectator TV this week that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that Britain will send troops to defend the country.
The Defence Secretary said:
‘It’s a fact it’s not a member of Nato, so it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to send troops into Ukraine to challenge Russia… We shouldn’t kid people on that we would.’
Previously, Wallace had been ambiguous about military intervention, saying only that we could use ‘defence capabilities’ against Putin.
Britain has followed America’s lead. A fortnight ago, President Biden said sending US troops to defend Ukraine was ‘not on the table.’
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