UK Reportedly Pulling 700 Troops From Estonia by Christmas, Not Sending Replacements

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The UK is bringing home in December a 700-strong battalion from its NATO partner Estonia with no plans to replace it, leaving 900 service members in the country, the Times reported on Wednesday, quoting sources.

"The additional battle group was always a temporary deployment. Our commitment to NATO in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is total," UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said regarding the December withdrawal, as quoted by the newspaper.

The British Army had announced on February 18 via its website that the Royal Welsh Battle Group was heading for the Baltic state, doubling the British military presence there as tensions between NATO and Russia over Ukraine were reaching fever pitch. Then in June 2022, the Times reported that Wallace had committed an extra 2,000 troops to Estonia.

"It was known from the start that this was to be temporary; it's just a question of when that temporary will end," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told her country's Parliament on Wednesday, Estonian public broadcaster ERR News states.

However, Kallas told the publication she had requested a phone conversation with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss to discuss the issue.