Many experts say it is too soon to tell how Russia's invasion will affect its participation in climate diplomacy and international action, such as at the next yearly United Nations climate talks, COP27, in Egypt in November. With war raging in Ukraine , many fear ministers will be distracted from climate action. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, British Petroleum (BP) ditched its 19.75% shareholding in Russian oil giant Rosneft. A number of European countries also rehearse for civil emergencies - with exercises that involve ordinary citizens as well as the military. “The British military has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force and there is absolutely no suggestion of a return to conscription,” the MoD said, adding that £50bn was being invested in the military during the current year. Other Western politicians have also played down any threat of nuclear escalation. Gen Sanders said that within the next three years the British Army needed to be 120,000 strong with the addition of reserves. US officials have also pointed to an increase in Russia's social media disinformation. The admiral described Russia's military build-up on its border with Ukraine as deeply worrying. Indeed, for all the foreboding about societal collapse, facing a common threat could give Britain a new-found sense of unity – something many Ukrainians speak of. Just as there was the “Clap for Carers” during the pandemic, similar rituals might take place for those serving at the front. And for every shirker or draft-dodger, others might take pride in national duty, be it manning a machine gun post or cleaning the streets. Rastafarian soldier says discrimination case has destroyed his faith in the army A senior Western intelligence official has warned that if Russia decides to invade Ukraine, a conflict could spill over further into Europe. Last week, another senior Nato military chief said countries needed to be on alert and expect the unexpected. Adm Rob Bauer, who heads the alliance's military committee, said the public needed to change their mindset for an era when anything can happen at any time. Nato has also promised to block the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline if Russia goes any further. When that failed, No.10 sanctioned five Russian banks and three “hit net wealth” individuals. Sky News Services She has advised Estonians to stay calm and says there is no threat currently on Estonian borders. Nato has released a statement condemning Russia's horrifying attack on Ukraine calling it entirely unjustified and unprovoked. French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Russian attack on Ukraine is a turning point in European history. One ex senior minister suggested to me that there was a generational divide between those who had lived with the threat of the Cold War era, and those who had not. The former minister, currently a serving Conservative MP, pointed out that the prime minister grew up without that existential threat. Talk of wider war in Europe and the potential need for mass mobilisation or a citizen army may sound alarming. But the head of the British Army Gen Sir Patrick Sanders is not alone in issuing a national call to prepare for a major conflict on European soil. The prospect of further UK sanctions against Russia comes a day after the prime minister announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed. The latest move by Russia has drawn international condemnation, with US President Joe Biden denouncing Russia's military action as an unprovoked and unjustified attack, declaring the world will hold Russia accountable. BBC News Services The UK's defence secretary has also warned that we need to be prepared for a war. In his first major speech on defence, Grant Shapps said the country was moving from a post war to a pre-war world. The UK government is providing a range of economic, humanitarian and defensive military assistance to Ukraine, and is imposing additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus. Russia has denied plans for military action, but an estimated 100,000 troops have amassed on the border. This included £2.5 billion in military support and a historic long-term security agreement. It comes after a senior Nato military official warned that private citizens should prepare for an all-out war with Russia in the next 20 years, which would require wholesale change in their lives. If we took casualties at the rate the Ukrainians are taking them, the NHS would immediately be overwhelmed, and for years we’ve missed recruitment targets for the Armed Forces. A large diversion of citizens to military duty would leave gaps in the workforce to be filled, be it guarding food warehouses or building trenches and bomb shelters. The war that erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 has already left 14,000 dead and an estimated 1.4 million displaced. A frank and constructive dialogue is expected to improve relations between states, the Ukrainian president's office said on its official channel on the Telegram messaging app alongside a photo of Mr Szijjarto, Mr Kuleba and Mr Yermak. Phillips P OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, wrote in an analysis piece that the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House could see the US neuter the Western military alliance. Russia's military doctrine allows the use of tactical nuclear weapons if the Russian state is threatened with destruction. The mobilisation will be spread over months - and Mr Putin has said previously that Russia is prepared for a long fight. Reuters news agency says it is Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two, but the Kremlin did send thousands of conscripts to fight in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and later in Chechnya, in the North Caucasus. We won't know for some time how badly Ukraine's landscape, nature and climate action will be impacted by the war.
in Ukraine
