Vladimir Putin is “running out of money, troops and ideas,” the head of Nato said on Friday, as Sir Keir Starmer held a coalition of the willing meeting to discuss further support for Ukraine.
Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general, said the Russian president’s “delusional aggression” had caused him to funnel huge amounts of money and troops into his war on Ukraine with limited success, leaving him with few ideas on how to win.
“The developments on the battlefield show that our support for Ukraine is working, and we must continue in the same way,” added Mr Rutte.
Sir Keir also used the press conference to outline a five-point plan for the role of the coalition of the willing in supporting Kyiv.
The Prime Minister said the coalition would ramp up sanctions on Russia, force it to pay reparations, keep up air defence support, increase military pressure on Moscow and draw up plans for security guarantees after the war.
He welcomed the latest oil and gas sanctions imposed by the West as he vowed to take Russian energy “off the market”.
Sir Keir spoke alongside Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, who set out a Christmas deadline for drawing up a strategy to make Russia pay reparations for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, used the press conference to thank Britain for its military support and encouraged the coalition to keep up pressure on Putin.
“The fewer assaults [Putin] can carry out on the front line, the faster he will agree to diplomacy,” Mr Zelensky said. “There must be no option for Russia except to end the war.”
The tougher sanctions imposed by the US this week are a “big step” towards crippling the Russian war machine, he added.
Sir Keir also told Mr Zelensky: “We stand with you stronger than ever, united behind Ukraine and united behind President Trump in calling for the fighting to stop now and for negotiations to begin from the current line of contact.”
