§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 May,Official Report, column 392, what factors apart from the progress of reforms in Russia informs his Department's assessment that Russia currently poses no direct military threat to the United Kingdom. [26755]
§ Mr. SoamesWhilst placing great importance on the further progress of reform in Russia, we believe that the restructuring and reductions in Russia's military capabilities and procurement programmes over the past five years, the dissolution of the Warsaw pact and the transformed political map of Europe, mean that the warning time of a credible strategic threat re-emerging can now be measured in years.