News: UK to send RAF jets to Iceland and Estonia for support against Russia

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson backed the deployment of the RAF Typhoons as relations with Russia continue to escalate.
Speaking at a Nato defence ministers' in Brussels, Mr Williamson said the jets would be "ready to intercept hostile aircraft". Four Typhoons will be stationed in Iceland while four more will be sent to Estonia, which borders Russia.

Mr Williamson said the UK was determined to "demonstrate a clear deterrent" to aggression in an "increasingly uncertain world".

The minister added: "Britain is willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies, as they stand with us. The British armed forces have always been at the absolute centre of Nato. We can always be very proud of the role we've played in the past, and very proud of the role that we'll play in the future."

The UK currently has four Typhoons deployed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase in Romania. Russian fighter jets regularly fly through the region towards Britain, in a bid to test the nerve of the RAF.