the deep breath before the plunge

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Sunday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is “highly likely” but that it is “very unlikely” British soldiers would be deployed to fight the Russians directly, BBC reported.

The U.K. has delivered lethal aid to Ukraine and is considering sending more troops to NATO member countries in Eastern Europe, Reuters reported Saturday.

Per BBC, the U.K. already “has more than 900 military personnel based in Estonia, more than 100 in Ukraine as part of a training mission, while a light cavalry squadron numbering about 150 is deployed to Poland.”

Truss also said new sanctions against Russia, which the Foreign Office is expected to announce Monday, could target “any interest that has an impact on the Russian government.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted last week to reassure his people that a Russian invasion is not immanent, but President Biden told Zelensky on Thursday that he believes there is a “distinct possibility” Russia will invade in February.