The West has to ensure Ukraine defeats Russia – every Nato member must up defence spending now

IF invading Ukraine was an effort to rekindle Russian superpower status, it has been a complete flop.

There was no clear strategy, no effective command and control, no logistical support and absolutely no appreciation of Ukraine’s fearless desire to stay and fight.

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With international sanctions starting to bite and countries such as Britain replenishing brave Ukrainian forces with anti-tank weapons, surely Putin knows he can’t win? Sadly, this war is far from over.

And if we don’t help put this fire out in Ukraine it will spread to other parts of Europe.

To date we are only doing enough to ensure they don’t lose — but not enough to guarantee they can win.

Putin may have misjudged Ukraine’s resolve to hold ground, but he was spot on in believing Nato would have no appetite to get directly involved.

Make no mistake, Putin is in it to win it. His invasion did not come out of the blue.

And now he is siding ever closer to a powerful China that shares Russia’s disdain for Western standards and values. This is indeed a dangerous turning point in our history.

How we choose to stand up to growing authoritarianism over the next few months could have major implications as to how the next decade plays out.

Let’s no longer be in denial. The past 30 years have been a walk in the park compared with what lies ahead. European security is once more in peril.

Yet still we continue to hesitate. Europe needs leadership.

It’s our duty to once again step up. All Nato countries must increase defence spending to at least three per cent.

If Putin is seen to lose in Ukraine and the futility of his war is exposed then there is every chance the Russian people will eventually determine they are better off without him.

And that in turn will help prevent Russia’s progressive alignment with China.

Simply put — let’s make sure Putin loses and Ukraine wins.