British military chief issues stark warning to Russia over any assault on Nato

Admiral Sir Antony Radakin, the chief of defence staff, will not be drawn on suggestions from Emmanual Macron that France will not rule out boots on the ground in Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta, but he acknowledges Ukraine is facing a tough time thanks to ammunition shortages that will last months

Ukrainian troops on the frontline (Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin remains the most relentless foe Nato faces, the head of the British military has declared, laying out what could unfold if war broke out between Russia and the Western alliance.

Admiral Sir Antony Radakin acknowledged that Ukraine is facing a “tough time” with a major shortage in crucial supplies of ammunition which will “last at least several months” at a critical time in the conflict.

However, speaking at the Chatham House think tank in London, the chief of defence staff refused to be drawn on the controversy which has erupted within Nato after the suggestion that member states send troops to help Ukraine as it tries to hold off Moscow’s advances.