RAF Typhoons set for ‘Cold War II’
UK to send jets to Romania, deploys troops in Europe to counter Russia Russia to destroy its chemical weapons
New York, Oct. 27: The United Kingdom has deployed hundreds of troops to eastern Europe as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) continues to bolster its presence in the face of perceived Russian provocation.
In the largest build-up of troops in the region since the Cold War, the UK has confirmed it will send RAF Typhoon jets to Romania for up to four months in 2017, reports the CNN.
British defence secretary Michael Fallon also confirmed that 800 personnel will be moved to Estonia.
“Backed by a rising defence Budget this deployment of air, land and sea forces shows that we will continue to play a leading role in Nato supporting the defence and security of our allies from the north to the south of the alliance,” said Mr Fallon.
The announcement comes a week after a Russian fleet which was reportedly en-route to Syria passed close to British waters.
Tensions between Moscow and Nato have been increasing ever since Russia annexed the Crimea region in 2014.
The tensions further exacerbated in recent months after Russia’s role We will continue to play a leading role in Nato supporting the defence and security of our allies Michael
Fallon, in the Syria conflict.
On Wednesday, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said that recent tactics by Moscow had forced his organisation to respond.
“Russia has invested heavily in modern military equipment. They are conducting a large scale no notice exercises close to Nato borders, but perhaps most importantly Russia has been willing to use military force against neighbors,” he said.
Mr Stoltenberg said the troop contributions to a new 4,000-strong force in the Baltics and eastern Europe were a measured response to what the alliance believes are some 330,000 Russian troops stationed on Russia’s western flank near Moscow.
In July, the UK confirmed it would deliver one of four battalions to Nato’s enhanced forward presence in the Baltic States and Poland.
UK troops are expected to begin their deployment in Estonia in May 2017.
The US and Canada were also preparing to send forces to Eastern Europe.
United States President Barack Obama announced earlier this year that the US was deploying a “battle-ready” task-force of about 900 soldiers to Poland, as well as armour across Eastern Europe.
The country was also preparing to send troops to Norway for the first time.
Canada and Italy were reported to be sending troops to Latvia, while hundreds of German forces were said to be due to move to Lithuania. Belgium, Croatia and Luxembourg were also among the countries reported to be ready to commit forces.
Nato is an intergovernmental military alliance which constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Moscow, Oct. 27: A top Russian official says Russia will destroy all of its chemical weapons by the end of next year, a year earlier than previously announced.
Colonel General Valery Kapashin, a military official in charge of storage and elimination of Russia’s chemical stockpiles, told news agencies on Thursday that the remaining weapons will have been disposed of by December 2017.
As a signatory of the international chemical weapons convention, Russia already has destroyed about 93 per cent of its chemical weapons, according to Russian officials.
Russia had to build several plants in the past two decades to dispose of the world’s largest chemical weapons arsenal. In 1993, Russia signed the Convention on Chemical Weapons, which bans the use, possession, production, and transfer of chemical weapons.