UK backs de-escalation of Ukraine-Russia crisis

Wallace said it was "important to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the very thing he fears, that is, more NATO closer to Russia, would be the consequence of invading Ukraine."

The British minister expressed support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's planned trip to Russia on Tuesday (February 1) for talks with Putin, adding: "We have to de-escalate this, we have to stand up for the sovereign rights of Ukraine."

Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benko told the same news conference that Hungary felt there was no need for a deployment of foreign NATO troops in Hungary, an alliance member state that borders to the northeast with Ukraine.

Benko said the Hungarian government was not against NATO deploying troops in Central and Eastern European countries closer to Ukraine, but that Hungary was able "to perform this task on its own" in its territory.