Nato Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has warned that Putin has "no immediate plans for peace in Ukraine" and the west needs to consider supplying lethal aid to Kiev for a long time to come.
He believes Russia is engaged in "a war of attrition" and wants all members of the NATO alliance to agree to spend 2% of their GDP on defence.
Stoltenberg argues the US, UK, France, Germany and other western states must be prepared to support Ukraine with weapons, ammunition and spares over a long time.
The Nato secretary general is warning that Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, has "no immediate plans for peace in Ukraine" and is engaged in "a war of attrition".
Stoltenberg is suggesting that the west needs to brace itself to supply lethal aid to Kiev for some time to come whilst Putin keeps up the pressure.
Stoltenberg has said Putin is "willing to throw in thousands and thousands more troops, to take many casualties for minimal gains.
" He goes on to add that Putin has "no plan for peace, he's planning for more war," as Russia is increasing their military industrial production and 'reaching out to authoritarian regimes like Iran or North Korea, and others to try to get more weapons."
At the same, time the US, UK, France, Germany and other western states, Stoltenberg suggests, must be prepared to support Ukraine with weapons, ammunition and spares over a long term.
This 'supplies strategy' is fundamental, as Kiev recently complained of a lack of adequate weaponry and military supplies amid the intense fighting with pro-Russian rebels.
The need to arm Ukraine has remained a contentious issue, complicated by fears that sending weapons risks escalating the conflict further, causing an arms race and compounding regional instability.
On the other hand, it has been argued that providing arms to Ukraine could help deter further aggression from Russia.
There are clear differences of opinion on this, with some western nations highly cautious about further arming of Ukraine while other states are eager to provide a stronger military response against Russian aggression.
It appears that NATO is divided on how best to support Ukraine, with Stoltenberg appearing to favour greater support in terms of the supply of equipment, while other political voices suggest more military aid may well be needed.
What is not in doubt is that the conflict continues and the needs of the population have to be addressed with the provision of humanitarian aid.
The situation in Ukraine has been recurrent from time to time with peace talks continuing whenever an opportunity presents itself.
However, given the conflicting views of the west, and concerns about Russia's intentions, it remains unclear when and how a lasting peace may be achieved.