At the Tapa military base in Estonia, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak served Christmas meals to British and NATO troops. He commended the warriors for their bravery and sacrifice. The trip to Estonia came after Sunak met his Nordic, Baltic, and Dutch counterparts at the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in the Latvian capital, Riga.
According to The Independent, Mr. Sunak apologised that soldiers would be missing the festive period with their families at home and thanked them for their "sacrifice" and "extraordinary" service in a year where the world was rocked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) serves Christmas dinner to troops with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the Tapa Military base, in Tapa, Estonia December 19, 2022.
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‘This year, we have seen a full-scale war return to our continent, and I am immensely proud of the selfless dedication and bravery of our Armed Forces who responded to that threat to keep the UK and our allies safe,' the PM said.
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As part of Operation Cabrit, more than 1,000 members of the British military services have been stationed throughout Estonia and Poland.
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In reaction to the earlier this year build-up of Russian soldiers near Ukraine, the UK increased its presence in Estonia by double.
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"We're keeping other resources at readiness so they can be deployed here at a moment's notice and we're going to increase the amount of exercises that we do here in Estonia," he said.
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"You'll see that next year when helicopters arrive.What I would say is we remain absolutely committed to Estonia, to the Nato forward presence we have here," he added.
