Boris Johnson marks Nato anniversary as new UK representative is appointed

Nato flags will fly at Downing Street and at UK bases overseas to mark 73 years since the alliance was formed

The Nato logo on a uniform during the bloc's annual military exercise 'Winter Shield' in Adazi, Latvia, in November 2021. AFP

The Nato flag will fly above Downing Street today as the alliance marks 73 years since its foundation.

The banner will also be raised in places where the UK has contributed Nato troops, from the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier in the north, to Estonia in the east and RAF patrols in Romania in the south.

In recent weeks, Nato members have responded to the hostility shown by Russia towards Ukraine with a display of solidarity.

Nato has sent troops, ships and aircraft to countries and the region near Ukraine to strengthen deterrence in the war. As the leading European contributor to Nato, the UK has been at the forefront of this action.

The UK has directly supplied 6,000 missiles, 4,000 anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft projectiles to bolster Ukrainian defences.

Last week the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace hosted a meeting of 30 countries from across Nato and beyond to co-ordinate future military aid to Ukraine.

This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will welcome Polish President Andrzej Duda and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the tough and decisive response from allies to the situation in Ukraine.

“Seventy-three years ago today, the founding members of Nato came together, united loosely by geography but bound more tightly by a shared belief in freedom and sovereignty," Mr Johnson said.

"Three quarters of a century later that conviction and drive endures.

“It is that self-same freedom which the people of Ukraine are fighting for with every fibre of their being.

“As members of the greatest security alliance in the history of the world, we have a responsibility to give them everything they need to face down this barbaric attempt to subjugate the Ukrainian people.

“As the largest European contributor to the alliance and as a staunch friend to Ukraine, the UK will continue to do just that.”

A Ukrainian soldier fires his rifle from a trench at the front east of Kharkiv in the north of Ukraine, which continues to be shelled by Russian forces. AFP

A gas station on fire in Kharkiv after Russian ttack on the northern city. AFP

A medieval suit of armour 'stands guard' at a a Ukrainian checkpoint, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Ukrainian refugees wait in line to cross the border into Poland at Shehyni. Reuters

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

A resident passes apartment buildings destroyed by Russian attacks in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, standing, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the House of Representatives via video link at Parliament House in Canberra. Mr Zelenskyy appealed directly to Australian legislators for more help in the war against Russia, including armoured vehicles and tougher sanctions. AP

Fire lights up the sky east of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A destroyed Russian tank in the village of Lukianivka near Kyiv. AFP

Passengers arriving from Moscow at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyrzstan. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of former Soviet countries in Central Asia are facing difficult choices: shrinking work opportunities in Russia and wages in the weakened rouble versus a return to the homeland where they have family homes, but even fewer job prospects. AFP

Fire and smoke light up the sky east of Kharkiv as Ukrainian forces push back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier shoots at the Russian positions not far from the capital Kyiv. EPA

A car marked with the English letter 'Z' is found destroyed at the central Ukrainian train station that was used as a Russian base in Trostyanets. Ukrainian forces said they had retaken the north-eastern town from the Russians. Getty Images

Rescue workers at the site of the regional administration building hit by Russian cruise missiles, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A dog looks at cars passing by on the road near a house painted with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

A soldier poses for the picture in Kyiv, Ukraine, while standing guard amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a destroyed Russian tank in the north-eastern city of Trostianets. AFP

A worker pushes a cart past graves of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed in battle during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv. Reuters

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damaged apartment buildings and homes in Mariupol. AP

A resident takes photos of a destroyed Russian tank next to the railway station where the Russian forces were stationed, in Trostyanets, a town recaptured by the Ukrainian army. EPA

A rescuer clears the rubble of a warehouse containing more than 50,000 tons of deep-frozen food in the town of Brovary, north of Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after it was destroyed by Russian shelling. AFP

A Ukrainian army vehicle carries a Russian tank in Trostyanets. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral ceremony of a comrade in Odesa. EPA

A man walks with his dog near an apartment building damaged by shelling from fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo

Members of the Danish Parliament attend the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the Danish Parliament via a video link, at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. EPA

A satellite image shows crowds outside a Metro grocery store in Mariupol. Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opens Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul. President Erdogan told the delegations that "both parties have legitimate concerns." AFP

Members of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fire a howitzer at a position in the Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters

Ukrainian refugees are helped by volunteers upon their arrival at Amsterdam Central station by train from Berlin. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers ride an armoured people carrier through the town of Trostsyanets, about 400 kilometres east of Kyiv. AP Photo

Firefighters work amid the debris of residential houses that were destroyed by Russian shelling in a settlement outside Kharkiv. Reuters

President Joe Biden said that he is not advocating for regime change in Moscow after saying Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power." AP Photo

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than half of Kharkiv's 1.4 million people have fled the city since Russia's invasion on February 24. Getty Images

Local residents pass by a destroyed Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets, east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine. The monument to the Second World War is seen in background. AP Photo

A pro-Russian troop service member walks near a destroyed apartment building in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Mykhaylo, 8, who was taken away from his widowed mother along with his 9-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister, plays with a ball in the garden of a state shelter in Lviv. Reuters

Halyna Falko, 52, talks to reporters while looking at the destruction caused after a Russian attack inside her house near Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

Curtains flutter in the wind at a building that was damaged by shelling in a neighbourhood that has been largely abandoned and left without water, gas and heating, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

People, mainly women and children, arrive at Przemysl on a train from Odesa in war-torn Ukraine in Przemysl, Poland. The Polish government has said it may spend €24 billion this year hosting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, and is seeking more support from the European Union. Getty Images

A woman walks a dog past the so-called "people's installation to a Russian soldier" nicknamed the "polite people" created by residents in the backyard of their apartment building in the town of Podolsk, outside Moscow. AFP

As part of the Nato response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions, the UK has doubled its troop presence in Estonia, sent the HMS Trent and HMS Diamond to the Eastern Mediterranean and sent Royal Air Force Typhoons to patrol the skies of Romania and Poland.

HMS Trent is conducting Nato exercises with Merlin Helicopters and RAF P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

They will be shortly joined by HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, which set sail from Portsmouth on Sunday.

On Monday, the government also announced that one of Mr Johnson’s top foreign policy advisers will be the UK’s next permanent representative to Nato.

David Quarrey, who was previously the deputy national security adviser, will help to advance the response to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine and the future of the alliance.

He will take over from Dame Sarah MacIntosh this month. Mr Johnson approved the appointment of Mr Quarrey on the recommendation of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Mr Quarrey was one of the UK’s most experienced senior diplomats.

He has been UK ambassador to Israel, director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign Office, and director for foreign policy in the National Security Secretariat of the Cabinet Office.

Mr Quarrey held postings in India and Zimbabwe, and at the UK’s permanent representation to the UN in New York.

“I am honoured to take up the position of UK permanent representative to Nato,” Mr Quarrey said.

“I look forward to leading the excellent joint FCDO and MoD [Ministry of Defence] team as we work with our allies to keep our country and citizens safe.”

Ms Truss said: “Nato is vital for European and global security. We will work to strengthen the alliance in the face of Russian aggression.

“I am pleased to appoint David, who is an experienced diplomat and will lead the UK’s efforts working with our Nato allies.

“I congratulate him on his appointment.”

Ms MacIntosh will be transferred to another diplomatic service appointment.