"I can't work out what Russia hopes to achieve by these series of quite provocative, or indeed very provocative, actions. We need them to understand that they can be an important significant player in the world stage without the kind of military aggression that we´re seeing, or this military posturing we´re seeing," Cleverly told Sky News broadcaster when asked about Russian aircraft "buzzing" at the UK’s airspace.
On Wednesday, a Royal Air Force spokesman confirmed to Sputnik that UK fighter jets had intercepted and escorted four Russian Tu-95 bombers passing through the country's zone of interest. Later on, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that two Russian Tu-95 bombers on a scheduled flight over neutral waters in the Arctic and North Atlantic were escorted by Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the British air force.
Over the past few months, Western countries and Ukraine have repeatedly accused Russia of acting aggressively and massing troops near Ukrainian border in preparation for the attack on the neighboring country. Russia has rejected the claims that it was preparing an attack and noted that it had the right to move troops anywhere it needed them within its territory.
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Monday that he could not rule out a provocation on part of Ukraine. Earlier in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the military maneuvers near Russia's borders were increasingly provocative.