Britain is to offer another two Typhoon warplanes to patrol the skies of eastern Europe amid continuing tensions with Russia over Ukraine, David Cameron has said.
The RAF has already sent four Typhoons to join Nato’s air policing mission over its Baltic member countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the prime minister made clear that Britain is ready to do more to reassure the former Soviet states that they are covered by the protective umbrella of the alliance, including extending the provision of Sentry surveillance aircraft and air-to-air refuelling.
Mr Cameron told the House of Commons Liaison Committee that Britain must prepare itself for a “very difficult long-term relationship with Russia” if Vladimir Putin does not back down from his stance on Ukraine, which has seen the Kremlin annexe the Crimean peninsula and offer support to separatist forces in the east of the country.
The PM told the committee: “We are not talking about deploying armed forces to Ukraine or anything like that. It is about making sure that we can fulfil our Nato obligations.
“We have already deployed four Typhoon aircraft to bolster the Baltic air policing mission over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We are going to be offering an additional two Typhoons to that deployment.”
The four Typhoons were deployed in May when Nato boosted its regular Baltic operations, under Polish leadership, in response to the Ukraine crisis. If the offer of an additional two jets is accepted, it is envisaged that the UK would take over the lead of the operation from September.
Mr Cameron added: “UK personnel will participate in enhanced Nato exercises scheduled over the coming months in the Baltic states.”
Mr Cameron was speaking shortly after Foreign Secretary William Hague told MPs that some pro-Russian insurgents in the east of Ukraine appear to be special forces sent by the Kremlin.
Separatists in Donetsk have declared an independent state and asked to join Russia, following referendums in the region and neighbouring Luhansk which produced majorities wanting to leave Ukraine.
The EU dismissed the votes as illegal.
After visiting Ukraine last week and attending a meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday, Mr Hague told the Commons: “In two of Ukraine’s 25 regions, namely Donetsk and Luhansk in the south and east of the country, the situation has deteriorated markedly over the last two weeks.
“So-called pro-Russian separatists led by people who by their training, equipment and behaviour give every appearance of sometimes being Russian special forces have continued to seize and occupy government buildings, using many of the same tactics that were deployed in Crimea.”