Nato leaders have been "too hesitant" in supplying high-tech weaponry to Ukraine, which is "playing into the hands of Russia", according to the Chair of an influential parliamentary committee.
On the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Tobias Ellwood told GB News that the UK and other Western governments need to speed up the delivery of complex weapons systems, so Ukraine can begin to make significant gains.
The Ukrainian people are being warned to expect an upsurge in missile attacks to coincide with the anniversary.
Russia is also expected to launch a major Spring offensive any day.
Tobias Ellwood told GB News that the UK and other Western governments need to speed up the delivery of complex weapons systems
House of Commons
Mr Ellwood, who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, said it was vital that Ukrainian forces regained some significant territory in the months ahead.
"2023 is that critical year to put this fire out," he said.
"Ukraine needs to show that it's gaining territory to keep the West supportive, rather than being stuck on the contact line as it is today.
"To punch through to Russian held territory, those tanks need to have all the necessary top cover."
On his recent visit to the UK and other European nations, the Ukrainian President made a direct appeal for fighter jets and long-range missiles.
So far, Nato leaders have been reluctant to supply Kyiv with jets.
But in the most significant move so far in that direction, UK Prime Minster Rishi Sunak said "nothing is off the table."
He also confirmed Ukrainian pilots would start to train in the UK on Nato aircraft.
The Defence Committee Chair said Ukraine must be given air power as a key and urgent priority.
"We've been too hesitant to date to provide the necessary hardware. A year it took for us to pluck up the courage to provide tanks. And now we're having the same debate about air power as well.
"We should recognise that this is about Russia, standing up to Russia. Ukraine happens to be the theatre of war."
Mr Ellwood said the longer the delay in providing weapons, the more Russia would benefit.
"Putin is hoping for the long game. Putin wants a frozen conflict.
"So, any delay we have in providing the necessary military assistance to Ukraine, plays into Russia's hands.
The battle across Ukraine continues to rage on many fronts
STRINGER
"Russia's ability to endure hardship, to drag this out, is far greater than that of the West.
"Putin is hoping that we will lose the political appetite, the will to keep this going."
Twelve months on from the Russian invasion, the battle across Ukraine continues to rage on many fronts.
None more fiercely than in the eastern city or Bakhmut, where Putin’s forces are desperate for a symbolic victory, ahead of their expected Spring offensive.
Hardly a building around Bakhmut is untouched by the many months of shelling and missile strikes.
The life expectancy for troops on the front line here is not measured in weeks or days, but in hours.
Somehow, Ukrainian troops are just about managing to hold out. But Putin’s forces keep coming.
Bakhmut is a perfect, if horrifying illustration of the kind of deadly grinding war of attrition, that forms the age-old Russian battle plan. A doctrine that calls on its troops to tough it out, however long it takes.
Major General Tim Cross CBE told GB News he understood President Zelenskyy’s urgent need to secure fighter jets
GB News
The longer Ukraine is without the complex weapons systems it needs to gain a decisive victory on the battlefield, the odds grow significantly in Russia’s favour, according to one British Arny general.
Major General Tim Cross CBE told GB News he understood President Zelenskyy’s urgent need to secure fighter jets.
But procuring such complex systems would not be quick, he said.
"We're into a much more complicated situation here. It's not just a matter of providing the equipment.”
"I'm a logistician by background. I commanded a logistics brigade.
“And when you provide this equipment, you have to provide all of the capability of sustaining it and operating it.
"That involves not just spare parts, but people who understand how the kit works and an ability to maintain it and repair it.”
Major General Cross said Ukraine had right on its side but did not have time on its side.
Putin is thought to be preparing a major new offensive
SPUTNIK
"Nobody is complaining about President Zelenskyy asking for this stuff and absolutely we should support him where we can.
"But the ability to deliver this capability that he's after now, to conduct offensive operations, is not easy and it will take a long time.
"I'm not convinced that Russia is going to hang around and wait for all this stuff to arrive. It's going to conduct a major offensive to try to pre-empt Ukraine's ability to conduct their own offensive operation."
He said that in a war of attrition, Russia was better prepared.
"We need to understand better what's going on, why are they doing this in the first place. We may not like it, clearly we don't. But understanding what's going on and understanding the Russian way of doing business is vitally important.
"The headines are full of Russian infantry being mown down and so forth. But that's the way the Russians operate. They did it in Berlin in 1945 and on the Eastern front in 1944. That's the way they've done it whenever they fight.
"They're going to continue this pressure. And we, collectively, are going to struggle to enable Ukraine to hold out in this fight over the coming months, if not years."
There is another deeply alarming possibility on the horizon. U.S. intelligence officials believe China, which has so far only provided non-lethal aid to Russia, may be preparing to offer weapons.
Beijing has denied any such suggestion. But a move in that direction would be seen as a major escalation in this bloody conflict on Nato's borders.
