WARSAW, Feb 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visit Poland on Thursday, a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said, after Britain promised to send 350 more troops to Poland’s border with Belarus.
“The prime minister is coming,” spokesman Lukasz Jasina said when asked about Johnson’s plans.
Jasina said Johnson would meet with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki and probably also with British troops in the country.
Britain has already deployed around 100 troops — military engineers — to Poland to help guard the border after thousands of migrants tried to cross over from Belarus.
The West accused the Belarusian regime of encouraging the migrants — most of them from the Middle East — to cross as retaliation against sanctions in a form of unconventional “hybrid” warfare.
Belarus, a close Russian ally, denied this.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday said the additional troops were being sent in a “bilateral deployment to show that we can work together and send a strong signal that Britain and Poland stand side by side”.
In recent weeks, Russia has sent tens of thousands of troops to its border with Ukraine and into parts of neighbouring Belarus, sparking fears in the West of a possible invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has denied having any plans to invade and has accused NATO countries of using belligerent rhetoric and having an aggressive posture in ex-Communist European countries.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss visited Moscow Wednesday to deliver a message that Russia must choose a peaceful path in Ukraine or face “massive consequences” from Western sanctions.
The first such visit by a UK foreign minister in more than four years, Truss was to meet her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to urge Moscow to abide by its international commitments and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
“The UK is determined to stand up for freedom and democracy in Ukraine,” Truss said in a statement as she departed on the two-day trip.
“I’m visiting Moscow to urge Russia to pursue a diplomatic solution and make clear that another Russian invasion of a sovereign state would bring massive consequences for all involved,” she added.
“Russia has a choice here. We strongly encourage them to engage, de-escalate and choose the path of diplomacy.”
Russia denies any plans to invade but is demanding that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO, and a series of other security guarantees against the US-led military alliance’s expansion in the ex-Soviet bloc.
Britain, long accused of turning a blind eye to flows of illicit money through London from Russia and elsewhere, said last month it was tightening its legislation to impose tougher sanctions on President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The sanctions would mean “those in and around the Kremlin will have nowhere to hide” if Russia invades Ukraine, Truss said at the time, warning the package would form part of a coordinated US-led response.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv last week in a show of solidarity, after Britain said it was also ready to offer NATO a “major” deployment of troops, weapons, warships and jets in eastern Europe. — NNN-AGENCIES
