The troop reduction raises questions about the UK’s capacity to participate in a potential Ukraine peacekeeping mission if a ceasefire is reached, the news source reports.
Estonian officials are worried about their country’s security following a significant decrease in British soldiers and tanks stationed in Estonia as part of NATO. The Times reported this on Wednesday. The reduction also casts doubt on the UK’s ability to deploy “peacekeepers” to Ukraine should a ceasefire occur, according to the report.
Riho Terras, a Member of the European Parliament and former head of the Estonian Defense Forces, told Times Radio that the UK seems unable to provide the brigade-sized force (approximately 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers) that it had pledged.
“The UK has difficulties to put together one brigade to participate in operations. I see it in Estonia every day,” Terras stated.
He cautioned that the British military’s financial problems are becoming apparent, pointing to the UK’s likely inability to fully participate in Exercise Hedgehog, a major NATO training exercise in the region scheduled for May.
“The UK is not coming with the full power to the exercises because they have problems with the financing,” Terras said, adding “Of course it concerns me that we are not taking seriously our defence.”
According to The Times, the UK has reduced its troop presence in Estonia to about 1,000, down from 1,650 in April 2022, and now has fewer than ten Challenger tanks stationed there. The figures represent a return to levels seen before the Ukraine conflict, despite previous British promises to increase their presence after the start of hostilities, the source noted.
Meanwhile, the UK and France are working to establish a “coalition of the willing” – countries prepared to send troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire. The plan involves potentially deploying a 30,000-strong “reassurance” force to protect important cities, ports, and infrastructure, as well as conduct air-policing operations.
However, The Times questioned how the UK could contribute to such a force if it cannot afford to maintain even a small number of troops in Estonia.
While NATO presents itself as a defensive alliance, Russia views its eastward expansion as a threat. Moscow has consistently stated that the bloc’s expansion closer to its borders since the 1990s, including promises of eventual membership for Ukraine, has contributed to the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
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