Former Chief of the British General Staff Richard Dannatt wrote about this in an article in The Telegraph newspaper.
"Parsimony in the 1930s nearly resulted in disaster in 1940 – now we must not allow history to repeat itself," the military man writes.
General Dannatt believes that the West should prepare for a long and costly Russia deterrence after the Ukrainian war.
Dannatt claims the winter or spring offensive of Russia, the preparation of which has been much talked about recently is likely to fail. In general, at least the moral advantage is now on the side of the Ukrainians.
"However, the question remains: even if a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine (including Crimea) were to be forced on them, would the Kremlin change its attitude to the West, whether or not Putin were to be replaced? [...] when can the West ever trust Russia again? When do economic sanctions get lifted? How can European countries ensure that they never allow themselves to become so trade-entangled and energy-dependent on Russia again? These are the uncomfortable questions that Nato, US and European leaders must struggle with," General Dannatt writes.
The most realistic answer, according to the general, is that the West will continue to have to stand firm and united against any expansionist intentions of Russia.
"As in the Cold War, Nato has no ambition to attack Russia, yet the experiences of this year demonstrate beyond doubt that Russia must be contained and persuaded to accept its place within the rules-based international order that has been carefully crafted since the Second World War," the British general writes.
At the same time, since trust in Russia has been completely lost, the West, according to General Dunnatt, has no choice but to increase military spending and strengthen its border with Russia.