Ukraine can still win this war – but it will need our help

Editorial: The foreign secretary’s surprising entreaty to the US Senate – that it should not show the kind of weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s – was as timely as it was powerful. The complacency many Western politicians have shown to Russia of late is astonishing: we cannot allow Putin to be appeased

The message delivered by David Cameron in Washington was very much needed (Getty)

Understandably, but unfortunately, overshadowed by the dynamics of the war in Gaza, which constantly threatens to escalate from fresh humanitarian disaster into a regional conflagration, the conflict in Ukraine seems set firmly in a pattern of indefinite attrition. As such, the balance of advantage is tipping towards Russia.

In line with some striking historical precedents, Russia’s armed forces, and especially its navy, may be poorly led, badly equipped, prone to corruption and incompetent – but there are lots of them. A seemingly endless supply of manpower, of varying quality, and of basic but serviceable materiel, supplemented by supplies from Iran and North Korea, means that it’s possible the Russian “meat-grinder” approach and well-dug-in defensive stance will exhaust the Ukrainians.

Smaller in population, and with reported difficulties in recruiting fresh troops, this is becoming an awkward situation for Ukraine. The summer offensive yielded less territory than hoped, and Kyiv’s allies are proving increasingly unreliable. Short of money, shells and the best fighter aircraft, the Ukrainians are not able to press home the substantial technological edge that Western weaponry has given them, and no matter how brave their soldiers and pilots, there is only so much that can be achieved with valour alone. They need help.