Russia has reopened a major front in its war with Ukraine in a move that will stretch Kyiv's already undermanned and outgunned forces as they wait for Western weapons. The Russian military unleashed a ferocious barrage of artillery and airstrikes in the early hours of Friday morning as ground troops attempted the most significant incursion into northeastern Ukraine - territory that shares a long border with Russia - in two years.
But over the period of limbo, Ukraine's British and other European partners were unable to make up for the US shortfall because their respective militaries lack sufficiently deep stockpiles, while efforts to step up the production of new munitions are taking too long. This is despite the urgency of a crisis that threatens security for the whole of Europe, not just Ukraine.