MP and military veteran hails impact of extra UK forces on combatting Russian aggression
The deployment of additional UK forces in the Baltic states has had a "major impact" on stifling Russian aggression in the region, an MP and British Army veteran has said.
Former soldier Stuart Anderson, MP for Wolverhampton South West, met with troops in Estonia and Latvia as part of the UK delegation to the Nato Parliamentary Assembly Defence Committee.
They included representatives from nations constituting the Nato enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup, one of four coalitions in the Baltic states and Poland tasked with deterring aggression and promoting peace.
The UK Government recently doubled the number of personnel in Estonia, where the British Army leads Nato's battlegroup, and has deployed extra Royal Navy ships, British Army troops, and Royal Air force fighters to Eastern Europe.
And Wolverhampton South West MP Mr Anderson said it was clear the extra UK forces had helped bolster Nato's eastern flank against Russian aggression.
He said: "As a veteran, it was an honour to meet representatives from the enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia and see the outstanding work our troops are undertaking with Nato allies in Eastern Europe to deter further Russian aggression from threatening the territorial sovereignty of member states.
"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies to ensure Ukraine can best defend itself from Putin’s regime and choose its destiny."
During his visit Mr Anderson also met with Latvian Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks. It comes after Boris Johnson signed a new declaration on his visit to Sweden and Finland to tackle traditional, hybrid and cyber threats, marking a new era in security cooperation and intelligence sharing.
Mr Anderson said Nato’s response remained "preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory", and also welcomed the recently announced package of sanctions on Russia and Belarus targeting £1.7 billion worth of trade.
