Johnson supports European allies facing Russian aggression

The Prime Minister is calling on international partners to demonstrate their solidarity with NATO allies who bear the brunt of Russian aggression.

On a trip to Brussels and Warsaw, Boris Johnson will stress to allies that they must not compromise on NATO’s fundamental principles. This includes inviolability of countries’ sovereignty, the right of every European democracy to aspire to NATO membership and NATO’s obligation to protect the security of its member states.

In total during the past fortnight, UK ministers have spoken to more than a third of NATO’s member states about the situation.

While in Brussels, the Prime Minister and the NATO Secretary General will discuss the UK’s offer to bolster the alliance’s defences. This offer includes doubling the number of UK troops in Estonia in support of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence, deploying more RAF jets to create a squadron in Southern Europe, and sailing both HMS TRENT and a Type 45 Destroyer to the Eastern Mediterranean to help protect the seas and skies in NATO’s southeast corner.

Johnson said: “When NATO was founded, allies made an historic undertaking to safeguard the freedom of every member state. The UK remains unwavering in our commitment to European security. What we need to see is real diplomacy, not coercive diplomacy. As an alliance we must draw lines in the snow and be clear there are principles upon which we will not compromise. That includes the security of every NATO ally and the right of every European democracy to aspire to NATO membership.”