LATE 2023 and early 2024 have seen growing European concern that Moscow could yet prevail in the most serious conflict in the continent since the Second World War. Far from being the time to take the “foot off the gas pedal”, Europe must therefore now double down on the conflict.

Almost 700 days into the war, the stakes in play remain massive, and are growing. So, Europe and the wider West still have a massive strategic interest in ensuring the best possible outcome for Ukraine.

As much as the narrative around the war has turned more positive for Russia recently, it should also be remembered that President Vladimir Putin’s regime may be significantly more fragile than it seems, as last June’s Wagner mutiny showed. A growing number of Western intelligence veterans, including former British Secret Intelligence Service chief Richard Dearlove and former Central Intelligence Agency operative Jack Devine, believe that Putin could be vulnerable to a coup.