Horror of Ukraine war proves we must spend more on defence - and so must NATO in Europe

The full scale invasion of Ukraine, which started 1000 days ago this Tuesday, has shattered the apparent era of peace in Europe that seemed to follow the end of the Cold War. A terrible toll has been wrought on the brave people of Ukraine, without justification - and with far wider ramifications for the security of all democracies.

In Government, we led the world in our support for Ukraine. Throughout, we have stood shoulder to shoulder with their people, against despotic brutality.

Whether through humanitarian support; our £3 billion annual military aid pledge, continued under successive Governments; imposing the most severe package of sanctions ever on Russia; or helping to protect critical Ukrainian energy infrastructure - we have been absolutely staunch in our support.

Militarily too, we have been at the forefront. The UK was the first mover to provide Ukraine with long range missiles and tanks; we have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops in the UK since 2014 - and our provision of anti-tank weapons in the weeks prior to Russia's illegal invasion was critical in helping the Ukrainian army to check Putin's progress at the outset. Who knows where the world would be if Ukraine had fallen early, but by holding and then regaining ground they have defied expectations, and bought time for us to bring other nations into the fold - who in turn have provided significant funds, munitions and non-lethal materiel.

Throughout, the overwhelming majority of the British people have backed our leadership of the coalition of democratic nations supporting Ukraine. Many have gone out of their way to fundraise or gather much needed aid, not to mention thousands of Brits opening their hearts and homes to Ukrainian families.

We know that for Ukraine to prevail there can be no flagging in our support, or that of international allies. This is not to downplay the scale of what we have provided already. As Minister for Defence Procurement in the previous Government, and up to the election, I saw at first hand how the MOD - so often criticised for the length of procurement timelines - rose to the occasion. We delivered masses of munitions to Ukraine - at speed, and at scale.

But for that kind of support to be sustained, the coalition of partners must keep driving forward, rock solid behind Kiev. As a Defence Minister, I well remember how commentators and Parliamentary colleagues would question what would happen if the US elections went one way or the other, or if this or that country starting lagging behind against previous promises of provision. And yet, my observation attending meetings of the many Ministers from nations across the world cooperating to support Ukraine, was always the unanimity of desire to do more to help.

Let's be clear: this is a war like previous wars in Europe, one of an aggressive dictatorship versus a free and sovereign democracy. So, we must respect the fact that elections and their outcomes are a matter for each nation state; but also recognise that Ukraine, as a free and sovereign nation itself, must determine how it wishes to prosecute the war.

As President Zelensky talks of Germany's Chancellor, Olaf Sholz, 'opening a Pandora's Box' by holding a phone call with Putin 'to bring about an end to the war', we should listen. Ukraine is the country being bombed and shelled. Its people are the ones suffering because of a wholly unprovoked and illegal attack.

Last week in Parliament, in my role as Shadow Defence Secretary, I had the privilege of meeting Ukrainian MPs and defence manufacturers. We can talk about what to do; for them the bombs are real - the need for continued support is existential.

So we must continue to show leadership, not least by increasing our own Defence spending and encouraging our European NATO allies to do the same; standing strong with Ukraine, and presenting a wholly united front, to deter further aggression.