Russia must use its influence to stop the Assad regime from bombing civilians, Britain’s defence minister Michael Fallon said on Thursday, telling Moscow its involvement in the Syrian civil war had made the conflict more dangerous.

Arriving at a NATO defence ministers meeting, he also said Britain would send a small number of troops to NATO’s eastern borders to deter any potential Russian aggression there.

The troops would go “for our allies on the eastern flank of NATO, for the Baltic states and for Poland”.

“That is part of our policy of more persistent presence on the eastern side of NATO to respond to any further Russian provocation and aggression.”