He said it was ‘extremely worrying’ that the Ukraine flashpoint ‘could spill over elsewhere to Moldova and states in the Caucuses.’ But he dismissed claims there was little the UK could do to stop Putin.
‘If Russia is the principal culprit, we can take further action against them and make it clear this kind of sponsored war is completely unacceptable. It is sponsored terrorism as far as people of East Ukraine are concerned. We don’t know if somebody said “let’s bring down a civil airliner, wherever it’s from,” – but we need to find out.’
Asked if Putin was ‘egging on’ Russian separatists, Mr Fallon replied: ‘Yes. That is the danger that flows from Russian activity on and over the border in the last few months. That’s why he needs to move his troops away from the border and stop interfering.
‘They need to get out of East Ukraine and leave Ukraine to the Ukrainians.’
Asked about claims that the crisis in Ukraine was the result of an attempt by Putin to rebuild the former Communist empire of the Soviet Union, Mr Fallon said: ‘There’s a pattern emerging. We saw what he did in Georgia, we’ve seen now what he’s done in Crimea and we need to respond to that.
'We need to leave Ukraine to the Ukrainians. Putin needs to move his troops from the border and stop interfering'
‘There’s no prospect of us putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, though we can assist with technology, surveillance and technical support.’
But could any British military firepower be involved?
‘We have contributed to the Baltic air policing mission by putting Typhoons into Estonia, and we will certainly do what’s needed for any of our NATO allies in providing reassurance and support.’
And what if Ukraine asked for military help from the UK?
‘That’s for NATO to respond to – I won’t be drawn,’ he said cautiously, in an interview at the Ministry of Defence on Friday.
Pressed on whether he would rule it out, Mr Fallon said: ‘We’ve not been asked to put troops on the ground in Ukraine so it’s speculation at the moment.’
However, he added the NATO summit in September ‘will have to think how it offers more reassurance to countries on its borders,’ laying emphasis on the ‘will.’
So ultimately, it must be some kind of military assistance? ‘Yes, but military assistance takes many forms: defence capacity building, technical support, sharing assets.’
As for whether there were any circumstances in which Britain would defend Ukraine from a Russian attack, he went on: ‘I’m not going to speculate. We are facing a different type of warfare, ambiguous warfare where countries like Russia appear to be acting through sponsored groups, vehicles without marking, uniforms without tabs. We need to work out a response to that.’
And what would he say to Putin if he could speak to him face to face?
‘I would say “it is completely unacceptable for a country to be involved in this kind of activity in another sovereign state.”
‘There is plenty of evidence that financial sanctions are already affecting the Russian economy and the ability of their bodies to trade through London. There’s a range of other sanctions available, cutting off more links with Russia. He [Putin] needs to trade with the West and relies on the City of London.’
Unlike his predecessor, super- cautious Philip Hammond, surgeon’s son Mr Fallon is known to speak his mind.
