A former NATO director of policy planning, Fabrice Pothier has said NATO needs to do “much more” and supply the Ukraine with greater weapon systems and do it quickly.

He warned that this is “necessary” to do this now or face a “very long war of attrition” which will see “entire cities in the Donbas and eastern Ukraine being basically wiped out.”

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Pothier told Sky News, “It’s possible and it’s necessary because the choice here is whether we are entering a very long war of attrition, with entire cities in the Donbas and eastern Ukraine being basically wiped out and civilians obviously killed by the thousands, or whether we are trying to help Zelenskiy finish this war on terms that are actually acceptable to him and the Ukrainian population.”

The Kremlin has admitted in a rare announcement that they have suffered “significant” losses of their soldiers, but Pothier warned that Moscow are using this as positive propaganda.

He added, “There’s also this kind of Putin narrative of idolising violence, and the sacrifice of violence, and that the ‘special operation’ requires special sacrifices.

“Clearly he’s saying that to his population on the economic sanctions.

“And now they seem to be developing the narrative that yes, there are many soldiers die, but it’s worth it.

“So never underestimate the Kremlin capacity to turn something terrible into actually a kind of positive narrative to sustain the propaganda.”

Tobias Ellwood, chair of the British Defence Select Committee warned that Britain has “been too easily spooked by the Kremlin rhetoric” so far.

Ellwood told Sky News “enough is being done to ensure Ukraine doesn’t lose but not enough to ensure they win.”

The chair of the British Defence Select Committee said that if the West was “very bold” then NATO would send naval taskforce to patrol international waters off the port of Odesa.

Ellwood said that such a move would send a clear “statement to Russia to say that we are now taking this seriously.”

“Odesa is a critical port in the south.

“If that falls, Ukraine will become landlocked and vital grain exports that we all depend on will not be able to get out.

“But more importantly, Putin will be able to declare a win.”