Putin’s invasion has exposed the frailty of Europe’s armies

Putin’s forces are currently steamrolling Ukraine’s defences, with Russian troops circling the capital and invading from the south and east of the country. Meanwhile European leaders, neutered by their military weakness, have been unable to do little more than offer pointless sanctions and statements of solidarity.

As Russian troops streamed across the border, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the ‘unprecedented military aggression.’ When the Kremlin moved to recognise the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as independent states, the response in Brussels was to pass a fresh package of sanctions.

This was repeated in London, with Boris Johnson telling our ‘Ukrainian friends’ that ‘we are with you and we are on your side’ as his government passed Britain’s ‘most punishing sanctions to inflict maximum and lasting pain on Russia.’ In Washington, where the Biden administration is grappling with America’s retreat from the global stage, the White House signed a raft of sanctions to maximise on ‘long-term impact.’