Over 2,600 British troops will be joining a NATO exercise in a show of solidarity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry announced on Friday.

NATO is to conduct Exercise Steadfast Dart 25 from January through February to practice deploying of the Allied Reaction Force, which can quickly reinforce the Alliance's eastern flank. The exercises will showcase "the Alliance's readiness, capability, and commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory."

The 2,600 troops will be supported by 730 vehicles.

"This government wants the U.K. to be NATO's leading European nation. Exercise Steadfast Dart demonstrates our unshakeable commitment to NATO and highlights the U.K.'s key leadership role in the alliance," said Defense Minister Luke Pollard.

The exercise aims to improve coordination and cooperation between NATO allies, most notably in the early phases of deployment. Striving to developed a high-readiness force capable of operating across land, sea, and air, the Allied Reaction Force looks not only to support NATO members in times of conflict but also to "strengthen deterrence against our adversaries — including Russia."

The move of British troops to Europe comes only two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to strike the U.K. with a new ballistic missile after first using the weapon to hit targets in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin said the use of weapon with a range of "several thousand kilometers" was in response to Britian and the U.S. giving Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied weapons to hit targets inside of Russia.

"As we approach the three-year anniversary of Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we must continue to strengthen our collective defenses together to deter Putin effectively," Pollard added.

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