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Select committee: Defence Committee

4th Special Report: Russia: Implications for UK defence and security: Government Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2016–17

Published 15 September 2016

Defence Committee Russia: implications for UK defence and security inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 1st Report - Russia: Implications for UK defence and security.

This is the government's response, published 15 September 2016.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government welcomes the Committee's inquiry and, in its response, agrees with a number of findings (including on hybrid warfare and Russian military aggressiveness), while setting out the UK's leading role in NATO deterrence and its conditions for dialogue and cooperation with Russia.

  • On NATO deterrence, it says the UK will lead NATO's quick-reaction "Spearhead Force" in 2017 and provide the framework battalion in Estonia from 2017.
  • On cooperation in Syria, it remains "open to discussing the potential for closer coordination", but says this will not be possible in practice unless Russia aligns its goals and approach with the international coalition.
  • On sanctions, the UK supports the EU's Tier II asset freeze and travel ban measures and will "argue for complete rollover" when the EU discusses renewal in September 2016.
  • On Russia expertise, it says it is "working hard" to enlarge the Moscow defence section, but this "is dependent on the visas being granted by the Russian Government".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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