A top general has issued an alarming warning that the front line situation has “significantly worsened” for Ukrainian forces as Russians take advantage of warmer weather to intensify attacks.

Writing on Telegram, General Oleksandr Syrsky said Kremlin soldiers were making gains since Vladimir Putin‘s election victory in March and the higher temperatures drying out previously muddy conditions over the past few weeks in a major weather shift.

The general said “dozens of tanks” deployed by the Russians were taking advantage of harder ground to try and overwhelm the Ukrainian line near the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the eastern Dombas region.

He said: “The situation on the Eastern front has significantly worsened in recent days.”

He added: “The enemy is increasing its efforts by using new armoured vehicle units which are periodically achieving tactical success.”

The Telegraph reports that military sources in Kyiv were now having to rely on drones donated by volunteers to fight back against Russian forces.

In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is attempting the difficult task of winning approval from the House of Representatives for a national security package that includes funding for Ukraine.

Speaker Johnson is already under immense political pressure to win over Republican Party members who are divided over support for helping Kyiv defend itself from Moscow’s invasion.

Last week Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron warned against the “appeasement” of Vladimir Putin as he stepped up calls for the US to release billions of dollars of extra funding for Ukraine.

In a message aimed at Donald Trump and his Republican allies, the former prime minister said the stalled funding package would be good for US security and jobs and show the West was prepared to stand up against “bullies”.

Lord Cameron, who met presidential candidate Mr Trump for private talks during his trip to the US, insisted the only way to end the conflict was by backing Ukraine rather than allowing Russia to keep the territory it has occupied.

Mr Trump, who hopes to return to the White House following November’s US election, is reportedly ready to pressure Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas border region as a price for peace with Russia.

But Lord Cameron told CNN during his visit to Washington: “Everyone wants to see an end to the killing and an end to the war. But you only get that by backing Ukraine, by showing strength. Peace comes through strength, not through appeasement and weakness.”