Britain or its allies are unlikely to send troops to Ukraine if it is attacked by neighboring Russia. This was warned by the Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace, quoted by the British newspaper The Independent.
U.S. intelligence says Russia has deployed about 70,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and began planning a possible invasion early next year.
Wallace and Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Yurievich Reznikov issued a joint statement on November 16th, saying they were "concerned" about the build-up of Russian troops near the country's borders. "The United Kingdom stands side by side with the people of Ukraine and will continue its long-standing determination to support it," the statement added.
But in an interview with Spectator Wallace, he said that Kiev "is not a member of NATO, so it is very unlikely that anyone will send troops to Ukraine to challenge Russia."
"We should not joke with people. Ukrainians are aware of this, "he added in a comment quoted by The Times before the interview was published.
Asked if that means Ukraine alone, Wallace said: "We can all help build capacity, but to some extent Ukraine is not in NATO, so we are doing everything we can diplomatically to tell Putin not to do that." in Ukraine).
Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with "significant consequences" for Moscow if its military invaded Ukraine.
The prime minister spoke by phone with Putin on Monday to reaffirm the UK's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and to warn that any destabilizing action by Moscow would be a "strategic mistake".
The Kremlin has denied preparing an invasion and accused the Kiev government of fueling tensions in the region by deploying new weapons.
The two countries have been at odds since 2014, when Russian forces annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.
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