Rishi Sunak served the troops Christmas dinner, praising them for their “selfless service and bravery” in a year when the world was rocked by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He made a surprise visit to Estonia, where Britain has helped bolster NATO forces to prevent Moscow from invading other allied countries.
After filling them with celebratory food, including mince pie, Mr. Sunak sat down with the soldiers to thank them for the sacrifices they had made.
“This year we have witnessed the full return of war to our continent and I am very proud of the selfless commitment and courage of our armed forces in responding to this threat to protect the UK and our allies,” said the Prime Minister. .
“As thousands of our soldiers prepare to spend Christmas on their mission, I know that this year, of all people, we will not take their sacrifice or the sacrifice of their loved ones for granted.
“After all, Christmas is a time of peace and like our allies, we will continue to support our Ukrainian and European friends to restore that peace.”
The prime minister was accompanied at the Tapa military base by Kaja Kallas, his Estonian counterpart. The pair spoke to the troops of the King’s Royal Hussars – an armored cavalry regiment equipped with Challenger 2 tanks.
In the fall, the Hussars took a leading role in the increased forward presence of NATO, a multinational battlegroup defending the Baltic states.
Over 1,000 British soldiers were deployed across Estonia and Poland as part of Operation Cabrit. The number of stationed in Estonia was doubled in response to the buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine before the invasion.
The total will be cut in half next year as some troops move to other hotspots around the world.
But Mr Sunak promised that troops who remain near the Russian border will have more weapons at their disposal as the war progresses.
The prime minister also visited neighboring Latvia, where he urged European leaders to steadfastly support Ukraine.
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Source: Metro.co
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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
