Mr Scholz said Germany would match this target “from now on – year after year”, in addition to an immediate injection of £84 billion into defence spending.

But Mr Robertson said that despite the German defence spending boost and the West’s staunch belief that Moscow should “play fair” in the war, none of this will have any bearing on how the Kremlin chooses to act.

The West’s insistence that Russia adheres to international rules will fall on deaf ears, he added, saying: “The realists in the Kremlin will simply continue the arms race and the death toll will rise to the dull tune of history repeating itself.”

Russia has continually justified its invasion of its neighbour as a self-preservation measure, demanding any potential admission of Ukraine to NATO be permanently taken off the table.