Johnson boosts NATO’s new Iron Curtain with a billion-pound weapon blitz, as West shows the power of the army

Western nations have drawn a new Iron Curtain along the border with Ukraine to counter the growing threat from Russia.

Yesterday, when NATO bent its muscles, Britain agreed to give Ukraine an additional £ 1 billion in military support to strengthen defenses on the eastern side of the alliance.

At a two-day NATO summit in Madrid, members approved a guidance blueprint stating that Russia is “the most important and direct threat to the security of allies and the peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region.”

In its first update since 2010, the document states: “We cannot ignore the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our allies.”

Boris Johnson today announces that Britain will support Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s war effort with more air defense systems, drones and military kits.

As part of NATO’s return to the Cold War style, he will also have more military personnel, ships and aircraft waiting for defense from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

US President Joe Biden has also significantly strengthened US military presence in Europe, permanently stationed troops in Poland, and deployed two additional destroyers at the US naval base in Spain, for a total. With six people, we will deploy two new squadrons of F-35 fighters in the United States. ..

Nato plans to increase its alertness by more than seven times to more than 300,000.

Defense Minister Ben Wallace said yesterday that an additional 1,000 British soldiers were on standby and could be deployed to Estonia in a few days to join the 2,000 already there.

More typhoon aircraft will be sent to Cyprus and the aircraft carrier and its escort vessels will be provided to NATO.

Surveillance plans can also be used in the Black Sea if grain shipments resume from Ukrainian ports.

The Vladimir Putin war in Ukraine rocked 30 powerful NATO alliances, pushing it to the greatest review of defense since the end of hostilities with the Soviet Union in 1991.

But Johnson yesterday rejected Army Commander’s claim that Britain had to rethink its overall troop reduction.

General Patrick Sanders, Chief of Staff, said it was “reverse” to reduce the number of soldiers by about 10,000 when Russia wore boots in Eastern Europe.

A spokesman for Johnson said yesterday that the number of British troops was “appropriate” following last year’s defense review of plans to cut 9,500 by 2025.

“It’s wrong to focus solely on numbers,” a spokesman said, emphasizing that the government is investing in cyberwarfare and other new technologies as part of a funding agreement with the Ministry of Defense that will last until 2024. did.

“The Prime Minister believes that Britain must have the power of the right scale to defend itself and continue to play a leading role in the world. That is what we do,” he said. Told.

Asked if a new review of troop numbers is needed since the invasion, a spokesman said: The British public can rest assured that we are making billions of pounds of additional investment in the military to ensure they are ready to face these new challenges. ..

There is growing tension over defense spending, which the prime minister has set at 2.3% of national income.

Wallace, who warned before the NATO summit that British troops were forced to survive too long with a “smoke and mirror meal,” told reporters yesterday that spending levels were not sufficient.

But he added: Of course, it’s not core defense spending.

“That is, it’s not my core budget. I won’t buy any more plans, tanks, or ships.

“Because we are supporting Ukraine, it is like supporting the defense of Britain diagonally.”

President Zelensky addressed NATO leaders yesterday on a video link calling for urgent help to help Ukraine change the course of the war with Russia.

The UK’s latest wave of funding for Ukraine will bring its total military and financial support to £ 3.8bn this year.

The email can reveal that hundreds of Ukrainian troops have completed a secret course in Britain to use the high-tech weapons system.

The soldiers spent three weeks on the Salisbury Plain, trained by the Royal School of Artillery to use the Multiple Launch Rocket system and the L119 light gun donated by the United Kingdom to Ukraine.

Senior Instructor Warrant Officer Rebecca Brock said: It’s heartwarming. When the Ukrainians understand it correctly, they cheer.

Foreign Minister Liz Truss attended the NATO summit and urged the West to confront China to prevent the invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing claims to be China’s territory.

The Foreign Minister went a step further yesterday after Britain had previously proposed to provide weapons to Taiwan, calling Beijing an “invader.”