The plan devised by Germany and eastern European allies to help Ukraine to defend itself seemed a good idea at the time. The likes of Poland would send their Soviet-era tanks to Kyiv; in turn Germany would backfill the gaps with western-made kit from its own inventories.

But a weapons transfer scheme designed to show the virtues of solidarity, while ensuring that Ukraine quickly got the weapons it needed and could operate, is becoming more of a bone of contention as allies blame each other for its failure to deliver.

Germany, for whom the scheme meant a way to avoid provoking Russia unnecessarily by supplying tanks and armoured vehicles directly to Ukraine, admitted this week that despite protracted talks with Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece and the Czech Republic it has yet to sign a contract with any of them.