Healey makes new commitments to European defence as Nato ministers meet

The UK’s engagement successful European aerial defence and long-range rocket improvement is simply a motion of the “new determination to enactment much closely” with continental allies, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.

Thousands of UK troops volition beryllium enactment connected stand-by to deploy to Estonia’s borderline with Russia nether a caller statement Britain has signed with the Baltic federation successful different motion of the committedness to European defence, Mr Healey said astatine a gathering of Nato counterparts.

The Cabinet minister’s connection came arsenic the UK pushes for a person narration with the European Union, peculiarly connected information matters.

This is portion of the UK's caller determination to enactment much intimately with different European allies connected information for the future, and Europe's information is guaranteed by this Nato alliance

Defence Secretary John Healey

It could besides beryllium a motion of European efforts to bash much connected the defence of the continent with an oculus connected November’s US election, which could spot Donald Trump – who has been captious of Nato – instrumentality to the White House.

Arriving astatine Nato office successful Brussels, Mr Healey said: “Today, we volition marque the committedness to reenforce Nato’s eastbound flank with a caller program alongside Estonia for our forces there.

“And we volition marque a commitment, a UK commitment, to bolstering the aboriginal of Europe’s defences, starring a caller inaugural to nett unneurotic the European aerial defence systems and to enactment unneurotic with different European allies to make long-range missiles.

“This is portion of the UK’s caller determination to enactment much intimately with different European allies connected information for the future, and Europe’s information is guaranteed by this Nato alliance.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was besides attending the Nato defence ministers’ gathering successful Brussels to outline his “victory plan” for the warfare against Russia.

We ... indispensable bash everything we tin to measurement up our enactment for Ukraine successful the weeks and months ahead, to enactment much unit connected Russia, to guarantee that Ukraine tin prevail, due to the fact that the defence of Europe starts successful Ukraine

Defence Secretary John Healey

Mr Healey said: “We, arsenic Ukraine’s supporters, indispensable bash everything we tin to measurement up our enactment for Ukraine successful the weeks and months ahead, to enactment much unit connected Russia, to guarantee that Ukraine tin prevail, due to the fact that the defence of Europe starts successful Ukraine.

“They’re warring for the aforesaid values and aforesaid beliefs and aforesaid freedoms that we prize and we beryllium them that work to basal with them for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes.”

Under the plans announced by the Ministry of Defence, soldiers successful the Army’s 4th Brigade volition beryllium held astatine “high readiness” successful bid to support Nato’s eastbound flank with Russia, nether a caller co-operation statement Mr Healey volition motion with his Estonian counterpart.

The Defence Secretary volition besides hold plans to pb the caller Diamond (Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences) initiative, aimed astatine integrating Nato subordinate states’ missiles defences, portion besides processing caller long-range weapons.

Some 1,000 British troops are already stationed successful Estonia. If deployed, 4th Brigade troops – who are specialists successful operating successful Estonia’s Baltic terrain – could beryllium sent determination on with helicopters and rocket launchers.

The 4th Brigade, based astatine Bourlon Barracks successful North Yorkshire, would beryllium deployed wrong 10 days if called up to question to Estonia nether the plans.

The Army’s astir beforehand tank, the Challenger 3, arsenic good arsenic the Boxer armoured vehicle, could besides beryllium sent to Estonia successful future.

Army brigades disagree successful size, but arsenic galore arsenic 5,000 troops could beryllium placed connected stand-by nether the pact, which volition statesman successful July 2025.