LONDON: Britain wants to have closer defense cooperation with the European Union after Brexit than other countries outside the union, according to a document that sets out a vision of “a deep security partnership” aimed at nudging talks forward.
Britain wants to contribute its military assets to EU operations after it leaves the bloc, the government will say on Tuesday in its sixth “future partnership paper,” part of efforts to counter criticism by EU officials that it is not prepared for negotiations to unravel more than 40 years of union.
Underlining that Britain has the largest defense and development budgets in Europe, officials will press what they consider to be one of their strongest arguments — that the government can offer defense and security support to the EU.
“At a time of increased threats and international instability the UK remains unwavering in its commitment to uphold European security,” Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.
“With the largest defense budget in Europe, the largest Navy, British troops and planes deployed across land, air and sea in Europe, our role in the continent’s defense has never been more vital.”
British officials have long championed defense cooperation with European nations, with some suggesting it could be used as leverage in talks which so far have moved slowly, bogged down in arguments over the divorce bill.
Britain has deployed troops in some Baltic states to counter a resurgent Russia, has worked with the EU to tackle piracy off the Horn of Africa and worked on joint defense projects, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
But EU officials say they cannot move on to discuss a future relationship until “sufficient progress” has been made on three priority areas — the rights of expatriates, Britain’s border with EU state Ireland and a financial settlement.
Without that movement, British officials say talks may become stalled particularly on Northern Ireland, arguing that how to deal with the only land border with the EU depends on what kind of future customs deal the two sides will agree.
“After we leave the European Union we will continue to face shared threats to our security, our shared values and our way of life,” Brexit minister David Davis said.
“It’s in our mutual interest to work closely with the EU and its member states to challenge terrorism and extremism, illegal migration, cyber-crime, and conventional state-based military aggression.”
London seeks “deep security partnership” with EU after Brexit
London seeks “deep security partnership” with EU after Brexit
Russia says seized a dozen Ukrainian villages in February
MOSCPW: Russia’s army chief Valery Gerasimov visited Moscow’s troops in Ukraine and said the Kremlin’s forces seized a dozen eastern villages in February, the defense ministry said Sunday.
Gerasimov visit comes days before US-mediated talks with Kyiv in Geneva on ending almost four years of war and ahead of the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale offensive against Ukraine.
“In two weeks of February, despite severe winter conditions, combined forces and military units of the joint task force liberated 12 settlements,” Gerasimov said.
AFP could not independently verify these claims.
The pace of Moscow’s advance picked up in Autumn, but Russia has not reached its goal to seize the Donetsk region in four years of war.
Russia demands that Kyiv withdraw from the Donetsk region for any deal to end the conflict — terms unacceptable to Ukraine.
Gerasimov said Moscow’s troops were moving in the direction of Sloviansk — an industrial hub that briefly fell to pro-Russian separatists in 2014 and which has been under frequent Russian attack.
Moscow’s forces are around 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the city.
Moscow claims the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as its own.
But it has also advanced into other Ukrainian regions.
Gerasimov said Russia was “expanding a security zone” in border areas in the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv region, where it controls pockets of territory.
The army chief also said he would discuss with officers “further actions in the Dnipropetrovsk direction.”
Russian forces crossed into the Dnipropetrovsk region last summer in their push westwards — but the Kremlin has never laid an official claim on the region.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow is intent on seizing the whole of the Donetsk region by force if diplomacy fails.
