NATO expansionism is to blame for increasing global tensions, peace campaigners warned today after Security Minister Dan Jarvis said that Britain must be “incredibly careful” to avoid Kremlin retaliation if Ukrainian forces fire British missiles into Russia.

He was speaking after the government signalled that the missiles could be used for this purpose, admitting that “we’ve got to guard against” the risk of reaction by Moscow.

Stop the War Coalition national officer Chris Nineham said: "Everyone accepts the world is becoming increasingly dangerous as the US tries to face down global challengers and Israel threatens to start a new war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“But let’s not forget it was Nato’s decades-long expansion into eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union that created the conditions for the Ukraine war.

“That expansion has accelerated recently and arms spending is mushrooming across Europe.”

He pointed out that Sir Keir Starmer’s talk of “unwavering support for Ukraine” runs counter to public opinion, as 44 per cent of the population want fewer foreign policy interventions, while Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed’s electoral victory showed “that anti-war politics can be tremendously popular.”

A Peace Pledge Union spokesman added: “At a time of global insecurity, when nuclear escalation is a very real possibility, these moves can only inflame military tensions and make us more unsafe.

“Even Sir Keir Starmer’s Security Minister Dan Jarvis admits the risk of Russian retaliation.

“The UK’s military spending is already the sixth highest in the world, whilst Nato’s far outstrips that of Russia. None of this did anything to deter [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s appalling invasion of Ukraine.

“We urge the government to listen to peace activists in both Ukraine and Russia calling for an end to the fighting and for all sides to engage in meaningful negotiations, which is the only way this terrible conflict can be resolved.”