Britain to spearhead 10,000-strong Nato rapid reaction force with mission to halt Putin's 'Tsarist expansionism'

Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Norway and Netherlands will join bid against Putin



Aims to deter him from what West sees as move to redraw Europe's borders



Lithuanian president warned 'Russia is practically at war against Europe'

Concerns that he intends to impose a New Russia 'statelet' within Ukraine

Sanctions have so far failed abysmally to halt the Russian president's determination - in Western eyes - to bully Ukraine into remaining in his orbit

Britain is to spearhead a new Nato rapid-reaction force amid warnings that Vladimir Putin is virtually ‘at war against Europe’ and planning ‘Tsarist expansionism’.



EU leaders were scrambling last night to bolster sanctions which have so far failed abysmally to halt the Russian president’s determination – in Western eyes – to bully Ukraine into remaining in his orbit.



Leaders of countries sharing borders with Russia led the way in demanding tougher action against what they see as blatant aggression on their doorstep.



Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite bluntly called for the West to wake up, and appeared to urge Nato to give significant military aid to Kiev.

‘Russia is at war against Ukraine and that is a country which wants to be part of Europe. Russia is practically at war against Europe,’ she said.

She lambasted previous sanctions as ‘a big mistake’ because they were ‘too general’.



Lithuania is one of at least six states believed to have signed up to a new British-led Nato rapid-reaction force, the formation of which is expected to be announced this week by David Cameron as Wales hosts the most important Alliance gathering since the end of the Cold War.



Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Norway and the Netherlands will also join the 10,000-troop bid to deter Putin from what the West sees as an attempt to redraw the frontiers of Europe.



A key concern is that he intends to use his military might to impose a new ‘statelet’ within Ukraine called Novorossiya – or New Russia. What remains of Ukraine could be left with no coastline if the plan goes through.



A diplomat said: ‘Putin is obsessed with Novorossiya, territory won for the Romanovs by Catherine the Great. He wants it back.

Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, pictured left with David Cameron and Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, bluntly called for the West to wake up, saying 'Russia was practically at war with Europe'

Ukrainian President Porochenko, pictured today with President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy, warned: 'Today we are talking about the fate of Ukraine, tomorrow it could be for all Europe'

'But the so-called rebels in this region of eastern Ukraine, who he praised for keeping Kiev’s army at bay, are his own soldiers, using his latest military equipment. Let’s not fool ourselves about the acute dangers.’

Putin’s use of the Tsarist name of Novorossiya is sending shudders through Europe.



While it includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions – at the epicentre of the current unrest – it also includes such major cities as Kharkiv, Kherson and Odessa.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko – who will meet David Cameron today – told EU leaders yesterday that his country ‘is now the subject of foreign military aggression and terror’.



He warned: ‘Today we are talking about the fate of Ukraine, tomorrow it could be for all Europe.’



Tensions were further fuelled yesterday by the EU leaders’ appointment of Poland’s Donald Tusk – an outspoken hawk on the Ukrainian crisis – as European Council president.

Britain will lead a Nato force designed to deter Putin from what the West sees as a move to redraw Europe's borders. Above, Ukrainian troops are evacuated from the rebel-held town of Starobesheve today