UK Sends 350 More Troops As Talks Start In Ukraine Stand-Off

Britain will send 350 Royal Marines to Poland as fears grow Russia is ready to invade Ukraine.

- Michael Knowles

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it would send “a strong signal that Britain and Poland stand side-by-side” in the face of a mounting threat from Moscow.

It is understood that the 45 Commando Marines will leave cold weather training in Norway to bolster Polish forces in the country’s South East.

The announcement came as French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed a deal to avoid war was possible.

After holding talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin yesterday, he said: “We must protect our European brothers by proposing a new balance capable of preserving their sovereignty and peace. This must be done whilst respecting Russia and understanding the contemporary traumas of this great people and great nation.”

Britain has already sent 100 Royal Engineers to help build barriers and repair roads leading to Poland’s border with Belarus.