Cape Town - With tension between Russia and the Ukraine continuing to heat up and fears of Ukraine being invaded, the United Kingdom and Canada have stepped in to defend Ukraine.
Last week’s peace talks between Nato and Russia proved unsuccessful as Nato did not meet the security demands of Russia, who is looking for commitment from Nato to stop admitting any new members and to withdraw forces from eastern allies.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a press conference that Russia would not “wait for ever” for a response over security guarantees and that he believes that Nato and the United States “understood the necessity to react quickly”.
The Kremlin has deployed some 100,000 soldiers along the Ukrainian border and Ukraine officials have accused Russia of starting a “hybrid war” following a cyberattack at the weekend.
Ukrainian government websites and computer systems were reportedly defaced after being infected with malware, with its Ministry of Digital Development saying that all evidence indicates Russia was behind the cyberattack.
“Moscow continues to wage a hybrid war and is actively building up its forces in the information and cyberspaces,” read the statement by the minister.
On Tuesday, news broadcaster Al Jazeera reported that Britain is supplying Ukraine with short-range anti-tank weapons for self-defence, while Canada has deployed a small contingent of special forces to assist.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs that a small team of British troops would also be deployed to Ukraine to provide training and that there was a "legitimate and real cause for concern" for a Russian invasion.
"Ukraine has every right to defend its borders and this new package of aid further enhances its ability to do so," said Wallace.
"Let me be clear: this support is for short-range and clearly defensive weapon capabilities; they are not strategic weapons and pose no threat to Russia. They are to be used in self-defence," he said.
ANA