HARWICH and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin has warned “our heads are in the sand” in relation to Russia’s “hybrid warfare campaign against the West”.

His comments came during a backbench debate on “Russia’s grand strategy” in the House of Commons on Thursday.

He said: “Putin’s goal is nothing less than to demonstrate the end of US global hegemony and to establish Russia on an equal footing with the US, to change Russia’s status within Europe to become the pre-eminent power, to put Russia in a position where it can permanently influence Europe and drive a wedge between Europe and the USA, and then re-establish Russia’s de facto control over as much of the former Soviet Union and its sphere of influence as possible.”

The MP asked “how have we reached this crisis with the West in general, and Nato in particular, so ill-prepared to face down such provocation when Putin’s malign intent has been evident in his actions for a decade-and-a-half?”.

He warned: “Ukraine is merely a component of a long-running hybrid warfare campaign against the West.”

Foreign Office minister Chris Heaton-Harris told MPs the current relationship with Russia is not the one we want.

"Unfortunately it cannot be normalised until Russia stops its many and various irresponsible and destabilising activities," he said.