Ukraine is becoming stronger by the day. President Putin has seemingly lost the element of surprise – or has he? And, even if he has, does he care?

The build-up of Russian troops and hardware is being closely monitored. Talks between Russia and NATO to de-escalate the situation and address unacceptable Russian demands led nowhere. The United Kingdom is flying in huge amounts of weaponry, including 2,000 NLAW (next generation light anti-tank weapons) to Ukraine, along with military instructors to train the Ukrainian army in their use. The United States is providing additional helicopters and has authorised the Baltic States of Latavia, Estonia and Lithuania to provide Ukraine with US manufactured weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry. The west is arming Ukraine. The point here is that Ukrainian and NATO military planners are getting a lot of time to work through the scenarios and the response options, and Ukraine is becoming stronger by the day. President Putin has seemingly lost the element of surprise – or has he? And, even if he has, does he care?