Putin ‘testing’ Nato’s resolve in stand-off

David Cameron must honour his commitment to restore spending on defence amid concerns that the West is looking dangerously weak in the eyes of Vladimir Putin, a former British armed forces chief has warned.

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup, a former chief of the defence staff, said the Russian president was “testing” the resolve of Britain and its Nato allies in the stand-off in Ukraine and with increasingly aggressive flights by Russian bombers off the UK, raising the risks of a mid-air collision.

He suggested that Britain should now consider supplying arms to the Ukraine government to counter the superior firepower of the separatist rebels who are being supplied by Moscow.