“This is how we broke through Saddam Hussein’s defence line in 1991 and routed his massive and static army in four days, but we had overwhelming air power.”

The former NATO chief added: “If Macron really wants to lead the charge, forget ‘boots on the ground’, it is ‘boots in the sky’ which will most likely turn the tide back eastwards.”

Ukraine awoke Monday to another day of war as Russian drones blasted buildings in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions.

Ukrainian air defences overnight shot down 35 out of 39 drones launched by Russia, air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported, following a 4½-hour barrage that officials said also targeted power stations.

Two people died under rubble after Iranian-made Shahed drones around midnight struck private homes and state offices in Dobropillya, a large Ukrainian-held town in the east, authorities said.