Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: 3 civilians dead and eight injured in Donetsk shelling blamed on Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: 3 civilians dead and eight injured in Donetsk shelling blamed on Ukraine

all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss Tatiana kich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald trush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are on operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 the this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that uh may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the north eastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zelinski has said that there is a fear battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both car and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are Loc just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons the this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that is come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 figh jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the kman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on worldest one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 figh Jets to help it counter Russia air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time and again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian forign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff being trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tatana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdis iary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 88: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while zinsky was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with mosco the situation is flocked with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory the victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mikel mtin Mikel mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is Mohammad s now Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last six month had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones so he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is M attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out us to have this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of matter to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yeah that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and they the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the West support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wayne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war but ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons now the Europeans been talking La is to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase energy and gas the fact is Europe still news to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tin scale but let let let me tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of G of the White House later this year in the month of November have confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and HDE of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popular of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh too wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military Alliance that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and C for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this B Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering in what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that they say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and econ e omic Aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that You’ seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave it there we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed for fean for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss tsana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield field in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may maybe or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propag again informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop relationship so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective them no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we tracking and VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zilinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war now there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russ Ria cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is f with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the ground gravityy of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida u m thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of Nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but this are not in they are in not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 F jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss Tatiana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me how tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential Troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for period of two years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as a Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortifi defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 800 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinski was addressing a joint pressor with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now they will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia as belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s border ERS will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flock with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons rules Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI La for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a techn credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling Revenue news during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and my name is mohammmad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have Comon Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um uh Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfor falling in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of manag to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yeah that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 20125 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attration where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keep been going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have being purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now the Europeans been talking a lot is to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russi energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have con concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and a whole ride of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether Europeans States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine an international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my FAL question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to F this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognize the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last fours where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign state being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this legal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered good Russian use of nuclear weapons and and the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that You’ seen in that wider context and a saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective then oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are like if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that’s perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this uh still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking in VI on this on Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be iring its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both K Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians in what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions AR rising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War than there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fr with dang [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the PO prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first B of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fight Jets operate ated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escal ations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may maybe carrying noes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits us much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 F deaths from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of two years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are complete comp in their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss tsana kulovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland what you have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is a not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen a visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after eight the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult ult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the Vantage while lir zinsky was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia has Bel Road and K oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the killman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a witer [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr a technocrat credited with man ing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 20120 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the after math of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president mron is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mr’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we’re joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the backfield and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of manpow and what I refer to is meat attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of and master to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yeah that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in PT is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase R and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of L and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of God of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and a whole variet of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six on or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French president Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act and collect of self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to reaid Ukraine and increasingly increasing waves with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered a Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that You’ seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are Lo if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops uh but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget get that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on at this arm Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zensi has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire War according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by one kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war now there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians in what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast the and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in com bat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia’s been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be uh carrying nobes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us DP perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat but received by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war in the pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kulovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to watch he to say [Music] well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavell clarified that this NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern York Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukraine Ian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after eight the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern region reg it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinski was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every [Music] day meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK o last regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s National Security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as W for Puttin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SE Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain mrin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin Mel mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and as since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of UK Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge m was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers at this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from enough till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians on to the backf and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually threw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of manag to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yeah that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initi massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China by its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the butul if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russi hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still reliant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that oners oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would have go around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russ energ and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on Tiny scale let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take off in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and overide of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military Alliance that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessary to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concern do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to re Aid Ukraine in increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and and the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is a not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are Lo if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f16s may may be uh carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed that it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential bu buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Port get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate tget macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is f with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went off to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about economic devel velopment and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective no problem thank you for having me no tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has St again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and Ground St been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold backk Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to watch you have to say [Music] well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s zesk region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory now Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions [Music] it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while ladimir zilinski was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every [Music] day meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the Alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed mik mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is M mtin Mel mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rul ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his tasked with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise M’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and yond my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have Comon Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military a reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David D who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that it would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest what they have not done has take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announced it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually threw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50 ,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilize 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to have this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have have a naval Force to speak off Mar to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front Yes again most of assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push pushed back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons Europeans been talking LA to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a I think the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale let let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November have confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or n months too wait in the mean time the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessary to to fill front front line positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and corporate Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last fornight where Russia has carried out Military drills of Tactical nuclear weapons that say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fullscale invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I ve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been embolden to reaid Ukraine and increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave that we completely out of time thank you very much indeed profess for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss tatiano kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this NATO Representatives that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russ perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are in not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Mr taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zilinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in far in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising with the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania 2 has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavl clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops uh but this are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that’s perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried to much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking new that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that uh Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then problem thank you for having me no tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitim targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one this pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a h ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the American made F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has St again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff being trained by Ukraine Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had for to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kulovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listland to watch you have to say [Music] well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zelinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions [Music] it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage well vadir zinski was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day [Music] now meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia as belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday the tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed mik mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain mtin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is M mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine M stin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council ccil in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handing direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until New new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and my name is Mohammed S the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very parchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones so he announed on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casual casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 47,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off Mar to sink almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes the again most assessments most military assessments say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expect is that the Russians will be pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine in the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning L that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking long to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um Uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh too wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would to happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military lines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supp in role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and cor Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on how concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this elal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing WS with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered a Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave there we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed profesan for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s in associate professor the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of CCH Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO representativ that U may may be or are M if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first B of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this uh still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um you know she is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss Tatiana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you K me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking in VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern cities Ukraine second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zilinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both K Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack with Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than one insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida uh m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 23 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavl clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in Co they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 F jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 F Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with star warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has t again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also describ the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold backk Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to [Music] watch well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this NATO Representatives that may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 88: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions [Music] it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while vadir ziny was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day they will see meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia’s belad and K oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the the attack kills two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was the deed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel mersen that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain mersin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is mohammmad the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much advance as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones so he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um uh Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off Mar to SN all about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and fact that the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russ will be pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wayne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no has no principles actually recognize that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspect of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now the Europeans have been talking long to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as R oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage this aggression it may not be a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russ L and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very want on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and HDE of other things when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian battle field if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military Alliance that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and C of collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward is possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that theya may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in the whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing wavs with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would draw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and a saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed profess for joining us and getting us that perspective then oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of inter disciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow oh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are like if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that’s perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected the threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worri too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 figh Jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may may be uh carrying new but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery Fire War according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both K Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however is responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is froed with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating in on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that um may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see these still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us D perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop pres in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the sources not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war ples in the pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she had to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavl clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s the nesk region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions [Music] it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while Vladimir zinsky was addressing a joint pressor with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia’s belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War [Music] there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President vadir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone inclusion this decision is being seen as way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mikel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanction some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge M was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with work working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and my name is Mohammad s now Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto to the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States is passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in uh asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones so he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is meat attacks whereby they actually thr human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um uh Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of March to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static battle field uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attri where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is uh Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking long to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still relying on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russi L and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of L and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of God of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abor and a whole variet of other things when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh too wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happened think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessary to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russian say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2004 14 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that Russia is the victim this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing WS with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary global studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavell clarified that this NATO Representatives that may may be or are I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliation and as we see now um you know she is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing ukrain right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilomet and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both K Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft G missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians in what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on worldest one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may maybe or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may maybe carrying noobs but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the kilman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has Tom again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and ground staff of been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kulovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to watch he had to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of C Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO representative that may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s the nesque region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after eight the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinsky said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while ladimir zalinsky was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every [Music] day meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia’s belgaro and K oblast regions are respectably now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision vision is being seen as way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SE Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady govern bur but who is Mel mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and as since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge M was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his tasked with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise M’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is Mohammad s now Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military a to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked off his arm forces that they take more of the dones or he announced it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what a refer to is me attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off and manag to sync almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UC Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries uh that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russ and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very W on tin scale let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sley individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and a whole Vari of other things when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to waight uh in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that is the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia and 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the lat two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a top obsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about Ling anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing waves with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but this are are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um iations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 figh jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in uh escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be iring its biggest land operation in the region since The War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilomet and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both K Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this advances confirmed that it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles me meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians in what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous ESC escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next report get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania 2 has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is f with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other in structors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversation and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one it’s pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade FC 16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has t again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and ground staff being trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kulovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to watch you have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U May may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage lir zalinsky was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air Sirens were heard in the background what you live through every [Music] day meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia as belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as way for Puttin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavra for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is is M mtin Mel mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rul ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply by the armed forces and improved medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his tasked with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead with without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and beond my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers at this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they more of the dones or he announce it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off Mar to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front Yes again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that played into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine in the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China by its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still reliant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be I think the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russ energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on Tiny scale but let let let let meing on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of God of the White House later this year in the month of November have confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things uh when he sees sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh too wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a cont between Russia and the NATO military lines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there is a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fullscale invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to re Aid Ukraine in increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threat I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we have leave that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective then oh was a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida uh thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO representative that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps visors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are in not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said the F-16 figh jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and F-16 may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed M taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be iring its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president vadir zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is Ono in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone Zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know no body wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine lithu 2 has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us. and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is f with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 20123 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops uh but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for season because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again Nat troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent state statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development ukra ukine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has t again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff being trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to what to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been here ing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortif strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinski was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background live through every day now will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets zro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed mik mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide reelection Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain mtin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is M mtin K mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the co 19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking off his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the Armed Forces and improved medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast yond my name is mohmed s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian solders this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going the joined Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Pary the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of t time that it take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off a master to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact that the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter defensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wayne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine in the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and military support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking LA to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage this aggression it may not be a I think that Indi to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians what is two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian battle field if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military lines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there is a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine an international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and corporate Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered a Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave there we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter P clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U May may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tus was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this uh still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um you know she is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be uh carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russian which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into K region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee Amit heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zilinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising with the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying the claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a attracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the Cor it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is a not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald tus was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 F jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 F Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and liania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania 2 has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of two years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has t again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 are earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she to [Music] saying well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pavell clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 88: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinsky said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while vadir zinski was addressing a joint pressor with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day [Music] they will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia as belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observe Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than one in insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed mik mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide reelection Victory the victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain misten a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking off his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logist logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is Mohammad the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak off and matter to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start in till 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russian will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh you Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognize that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now the Europeans been talking L to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing the Indians want to hear but that’s what most are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russ energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LNG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that were to happen you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military Alliance that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of U ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and corporate Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward is possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia is carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that’s that’s security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in the whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing waves with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that you seen wider context and a saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed profess Don for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tus where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been here in about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are you m if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that’s perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes Tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European Union union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine ‘s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 20122 the president V zilinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin have has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the KREM is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills mosco calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana k kich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U m’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavl clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian expect to on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will ceive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 figh jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F16 May may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the coras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drilles Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F6 16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine acquisition of F-16 figh Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s full scale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss Tana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listland to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of Nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pavl clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as Russia Ukraine War rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between six 8 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinsky said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while ladimir zinski was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day [Music] will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and K oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct Clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no obje on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the m a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one fing plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of defense minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grab the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge M was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise M’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and yond my name is Mohammad s now rash forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we’re joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is meat attacks whereby they actually thrw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taken place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of manag to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are n saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 202 five so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UC Ukraine finishes its a second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is uh Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and ior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking long to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped the there’s one or two countries uh that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that oners oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase Russi L and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of G of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and whole of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh to8 in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh as to AC in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways uh in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing WS with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that you seen in that wider context uh and the saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there oh a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are Loc interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that is come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into car region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zi has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire and according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and trans transport infrastructure attentions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this would be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may maybe or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tash was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went off to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the FC 16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may maybe carrying noobs but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss Tatiana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspect to them no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in ukra frin point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has St again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F6 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold Park Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she had to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat Nat um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after eight the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinsky said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while ladimir zalinsky was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now will meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia’s belgaro and KK oblast regions respectably now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed mik mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as W for put him to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SE sh and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel misten Mikel misten was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly resp responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his Communications style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push for with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and yond my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers at this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we’re joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Bur and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is met ATT attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of and manag to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally possible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes the again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UC Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization that the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you ask are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the russan War Machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a I think the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate wait the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase if L and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of God of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and a overide of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would uh follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military lines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessary to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and c collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security con concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that is the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that saysa may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fullscale invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old uh from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing ways with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that you seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kak kevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U mam thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of Nat um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are in not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 F jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F16 may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kulich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprise ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in Kia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush AR reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed that it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next report get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fed with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdis disciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter p clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are like if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald Tas was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which does not want any nule clear retaliations and as we see now um you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may maybe carrying n but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the American made F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has St again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 fighter jets will be viewed as as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff being trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 202 2 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to watch you have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat Nat um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stock to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 88 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zalinski was addressing a joint pressure with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you LIF through every day now meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday no tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the kman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets mro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania 2 has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is frocked with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SE Shu and foreign minister SE La for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain mrin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is M mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been Reg Ed as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rul ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the co9 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for a logistical solution tions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and Y my name is Mohammad s now Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukraine territory the Ukrainian soldiers at this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have come in Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us us to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David D who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this brast broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the West Military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that it would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones so he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is met ATT attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of and master to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could Dr gone for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will wne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that a package and Trump who has no has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to to that no I purchasing the Russ hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still ring on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a I think that Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the who are imposing SS on Russia not to purchase ener and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let let me ask on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and whole right of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so the the despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions ions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would to happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military lines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually try and raise an area of ambiguity with regard to what the European stat should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessarily to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to AC in Collective self-defense and corpor Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons thata may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to re Aid Ukraine in increasingly increasing WS with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all we’ll have to leave you that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective there oh was a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida uh ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operate by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um Escala ations China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and f-16s may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective there no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start for the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising of the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with mosow the situation is froed with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia with will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss tsana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global stud at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are located I just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with is um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO Deni these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with danger president vadir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 fighter jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s full-scale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida lisland to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russia troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thek region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 88 the Infantry units started ADV given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinski was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider conflict [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody want is a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania 2 has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide reelection Victory the victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as a way for puin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain misten a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is M mtin M mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s Ral ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is Mohammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ian soldiers at this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have come in Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much advant anage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Putin asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually through human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field uh the this uh war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taking place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of and Mar to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity on the battlefield but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wayne again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I purchasing the Russian hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian high hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as ref oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a thing that Indians want to hear but that’s what most analist are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still puring even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase energy and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and HDE of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would to happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there was a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this war on Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that TSA may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the full scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that’s that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in the whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to we Aid Ukraine in increasingly increasing WS with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that You’ seen in that wider context and a saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave there we completely out of thank you very much indeed Professor for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in com and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jets sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may maybe uh carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on view on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zelinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin have has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s border will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is f with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we’re being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida uh ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat Nat um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and uh the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retali ations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia’s has been categorical it has said that the F-16 F jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fight Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we seen now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in uh escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and F-16 may maybe carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we have leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me no tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the kman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the coras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership sh along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in this pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time and again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian for Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and I earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat Nat um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deep deep ER into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6 and 8 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 88 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zalinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinski was addressing a joint pressor with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now they will see meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia’s belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO Troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras at says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one Al finding plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of M misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain misten a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional back background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling Direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise mastin’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economy and Regional development and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and my name is Muhammad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build fortified def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and he’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the General Charter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very pchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the backfoot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States is passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press for in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh Puttin asked of his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announc it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing uh huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is me attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 into the field uh the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of and matter to syn almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically signicant ific or actually a permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its second round of mobilization the expectation is that the Russians will be pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know at the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will way again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is uh Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing hydrocarbons now Europeans been talking to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one of two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that on as oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans were imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of LG and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean it would require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being protrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity in America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override of other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh too wait in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and euros to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emanuel macron has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that were to happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military Alliance that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of ambiguity with regard to what uh the European States should do and there is a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and C of collective self-defense so international law and international policy politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my FAL question to you is is twofold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that say say may come into picture if this war continues to drag on half concerned do you think the military strategist in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a tosy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and incre the creasing waves with different levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered a Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that you seen in that wider context and the saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed profesan for joining us and getting us that perspective then always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and vior and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are loc interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about economic develop vment and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss Tatiana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having it all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into KV region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September December 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and considered its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both Kev and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed then it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battle field so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians and what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure attentions arising over the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants and next Point get you more [Music] details the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald tush where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battle field in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that may may be or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F16 fight jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fight Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still a conversations and F-16 may may be carrying NOS but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Mr taana kich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warning ings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is Frau with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical new nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one in a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine is sought us made F-16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports The Source has not said as to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes and the pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss tsana kovich she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisiplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she had to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 23 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen are visuals from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 800 in the morning they are preparing for an assault after eight the Infantry units started advancing given the development on the Eastern Front Line Ukraine’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while lir zinsky was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now they will see meanwhile Ukraine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia is belgaro and KK oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point into a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is nting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania to has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send a soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drilles Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as way for Putin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SE Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of international observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin mik mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s ruling ruling apparatus or the Duma he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine mtin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of Western sanctions some pivotal moments of his tenure have been the covid-19 pandemic Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which he was majorly responsible for logistical Solutions talking of his professional background before becoming prime minister he headed the federal tax service where he was credited with more than doubling revenues during his decade in charge mtin was named as the head of the new coordination Council in 2022 where he was tasked with working with regional leaders and Industry to better Supply the armed forces and improve medical and logistical support his communication style is often described as confident and stoic and his task with handling direct inquiries from the president Mr sin is also predicted to play an important role in future transitional governments given that under the Constitution the prime minister is first in line to take over as acting president until new elections should the need arise M’s reappointment is expected to go ahead without significant opposition and this proposal comes at a time when Putin has announced intentions to push forward with significant governmental tasks these include bolstering economic and Regional velopment and enhancing Russia’s defense capabilities hello and welcome to this special edition of broadcast and on my name is mohammmad s the Russian forces are advancing taking the front lines deeper into the Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers this moment are scrambling in order to build for fire def defense lines and to try and fend off the Russian attacks according to reports that have coming Russia wants to make use of this interval from now till the US military aid reaches the front lines to gain as much Advantage as it can on the battlefield so to tell us as to which way this war in Ukraine is going we joined by Professor David Don who’s a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and is’s joining us live on this broadcast now Professor Don this this is what the general chatter has been that because the Western military aid to Ukraine over the course of the last 6 months had been very Patchy the Russians have managed to clearly push the ukrainians onto the back foot and now even though the Western military Alliance that is that is the United States has passed the military aid bill for Ukraine there is still a bit of time that would take for these Western American weapons to reach the Ukrainian Battlefield and the Russians want to take full advantage of it how much Advantage do you think the Russians could press forth in this case well the interesting thing is that the Russian gains despite the lack of Western support have been incredibly modest uh what they have not done is take the major towns that they have been pushing for uh put in asked off his armed forces that they take more of the dones or he announced it on the anniversary military parade on May 9th but they hadn’t got that uh to claim because they haven’t done that uh the Russians have been throwing huge amounts of Manpower and what I refer to is meat attacks whereby they actually throw human waves forward uh the Russians have lost at least 50,000 dead and 300 casualties 300,000 casualties overall but actually the gains they have made have been relatively modest the ukrainians have have despite the lack of of uh um Western support despite the fact that the Russians have mobilized 470,000 troops into the field the this war is showing to itself to be remarkably static uh and and indeed the conflict is taking place elsewhere with Ukraine striking deep 700 miles into Russia to destroy oil and gas refining uh plants and actually denying Russia the ability to operate in the Black Sea by sinking a third of its Naval units in the Black Sea so the war has taken place on many fronts and the central front it is as I say rather static right it’s interesting that you pointed out you know as to how this war is unfolding in many fronts and on the Black Sea front the ukrainians even though they do not have a naval Force to speak of man to SN almost about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet but on the ground though the Russians have made slow but steady progress and the Ukrainian commanders are now saying that it is literally impossible for them to hold the positions that they hold at this moment and therefore in the course of the next few weeks if the American military weapons do not reach them quickly enough they say that they would have to fall back what’s your assessment on that front yes that again most assessments most military assessments uh say that and in fact the um American White House spokesman Jake Sullivan said that the Ukrainian counter offensive will not start until 2025 so there will be a bit of fluidity uh on the battlefield uh but what there isn’t is a major breakthrough this this war has been going on now for years and the the uh the characteristics of that war is a huge Russian gains initially massive uh push push back by the ukrainians and then a largely static Battlefield uh with a a bit of movement back and forth there may well be the expectation that the Russians will gain some ground uh in the summer months uh but that’s not regarded as either strategically significant or actually permanent loss of that territory uh because once the Western support comes in once uh UK Ukraine finishes its a second round of mobilization the the expectation is that the Russians will be uh pushed back further but this is likely to happen over several years and therefore we shouldn’t be over fixated about the next few weeks you know as you are saying that this could drag on for the next several years but this is the kind of battle that Russians would want to fight this is a war of attrition where Russia is hoping because the Western support for Ukraine has been on and off um you know the best of times that Russia is hoping that as the months go by the Western support for Ukraine will Wain again and then Russia will gain its Advantage do you think that actually plays into the Russian hands well the big question here is is Mr Trump and what what he would do if he was uh elected uh in November but what’s interesting about the U Aid package passed through the US Congress is that it went through largely with Trump’s blessing uh and what that indicates is that support for Ukraine and the country is such that many a huge majority of members of Congress actually in the end supported that Aid package and Trump who has no PR has no principles actually recognized that that actually it was popular to support the war in Ukraine and therefore the the Western support for Ukraine in Europe and America is now established and and and this this uh blip in support is likely to to uh be an exception rather than the rules so the Strategic aspects of this are that that support in Europe and America financial support and Military Support and Superior economic support and Superior military technology will mean ultimately that Russia will not Prevail I mean Russia has many advantages including the fact that that India and China buy its oil and break sanctions and therefore its economy is keeping going in a way in which that wasn’t expected before the war But ultimately if I can just interject there you know the fact that the Europeans have been purchasing oil and they’ve only now started talking about sanctioning LNG that is purchased by the Europeans from Russia it’s the European economy that has been financing the Russian war machine would you not agree to that no I I purchasing the hydrocarbons now the Europeans been talking a lot is to have China and India have been purchasing oil and gas from the Russians but the fact is Europeans have been doing way more purchase of the the Russian gas and um uh Russian oil than India and China have we can dispute that the uh most of of oil exports to Europe and gas exports to Europe have stopped there’s one or two countries that are are still riant on Russian hydrocarbons but most analysts and and uh would say that the biggest issue is China and India particular India refining petrol and selling that oners oil and selling that on as diesel that actually are effectively sustaining the ability of Russia to to wage uh this aggression it may not be a a a thing that the Indians want to hear but that’s what most analysts are arguing but you know that’s that’s of course a point of debate the Indians would of course turn around and say the Europeans are still purchasing even though the Europeans are the ones who are imposing sanctions on Russia not to purchase r l and gas the fact is Europe still continues to make purchases from the Russians of L and this this is something that’s been very on a tiny scale but let let let me on a tiny scale you know Professor D let’s in fact come back to what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine now when you say that Donald Trump did agree to send this TR of military aid to the ukrainians the fact is a lot of the Ukrainian Defenders would be looking at the way Donald Trump has behaved in the past let’s say assuming that there’s a change of guard of the White House later this year in the month of November how confident do you think the ukrainians would be to rely on Donald Trump as a reliable partner in taking on and fighting off the Russians well there’s two things here I mean yeah require Donald Trump to win and that’s uh a by no means a certainty his trials and him being portrayed as a sleazy individual through the process in New York will undoubtedly affect his popularity and America but if he were to win in November and take office in January uh there are many people who have concerns about this but as I say the in interesting thing with regard to Trump is that he actually has switched position on most issues including abortion and override or other things uh when he see sees what is popular and what is clear from this time is that actually support for Ukraine is popular so despite the concerns that many have it may well be that if Trump were to take office in January actually he would follow uh the uh the popularity of support for Ukraine rather than necessarily uh being someone who was opposed to that but we these are many many many speculations uh with six or or nine months uh uh to weight in the meantime the Europeans have pledged long-term commitments the both the EU and the UK have said that they will give billions of dollars and pounds and and Euros uh to Ukraine for however long the war takes and that that commitment is what Ukraine wants to hear all right now the French President Emmanuel Macon has been repeatedly saying that French soldiers may have to fight in the Ukrainian Battlefield if that would happen do you think this is a contest that would directly become a contest between Russia and the NATO military allines that’s a real possibility uh what macron has done is is actually uh try and raise an area of uh ambiguity which regard to what uh the European States should do and there is a debate whether European States uh could send their armed forces in a way not necessar to to fill Frontline positions but to give supporting role to Ukraine in international law Ukraine is entitled to actually ask for support for from its its allies uh and from from uh to act in Collective self-defense and call for Collective self-defense so international law and international politics would make this feasible but but macron’s suggestion is not one that’s widely supported in Europe or within NATO so it’s unlikely to happen in the short term but he’s raising it as a a possibility more than actually a plan now Professor Don my final question to you is is toold firstly the Russians have said that it has become necessary for them to find this warn Ukraine because the West has not recognized the security concerns of Russia because they’ve been trying to push the NATO military alliances Frontier as Eastward as possible that’s the reason why the Russians say they are in Ukraine in the first place secondly considering what’s been happening in the last Fortnight where Russia has carried out Military drills of tactical nuclear weapons that CSA may come into picture if this war continues to drag on have concerned do you think the military strategies in the west would be of this war in fact resulting in the use of tactical nuclear weapons well first of all the question of NATO expansion uh the reason why many of Russia’s neighbors sought as sovereign states to join NATO was their security concerns about the behavior of Russia and in annexing part of Georgia in 2008 and illegally occupying the Crimea in 2014 and of course the latest two countries to join NATO Sweden and Finland did so as a direct result of the fulls scale Invasion uh of uh Ukraine in 200 21 so what we see there is is uh not a case of the West expanding NATO to threaten Russia but actually sovereign states being concerned for their security and seeking an alliance from like-minded Democratic states next to them so the idea that that that Russia is the victim in this is is a a Topsy Turvy view of the situation the reason why they have sought that that security is because of the aggressive uh territorial expansionist imperialist aims of Russia with regard to the nuclear question uh this is same old same old uh from Russia we’ve heard this from the very start of this illegal Invasion that that actually if you respond to this in any way I reserve the right to use nuclear weapons what’s interesting is that uh despite initial concerns about supplying anything to Ukraine as Russia has escalated in a whole variety of ways in its aggression against Ukraine the West has been emboldened to Reid Ukraine and increasingly increasing WS with levels of of technology and other forms of military and economic aid that hasn’t triggered Russian use of nuclear weapons and indeed the the Chinese have made it clear to the Russians that to do so would mean that they would withdraw any support for them because that would be to cross a bridge too far so that the threats I think from Russia are ones that that You’ seen in that wider context and as saber rattling rather than anything else all right we’ll have to leave that we’re completely out of time thank you very much indeed Professor Don for joining us and getting us that perspective to them always a pleasure all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia being joined by Miss Tatiana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pavell clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U may may be or are Lo if I can just interject that these are not just NATO representative so to speak Donald tusk was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisor engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops uh but this are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that’s perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first bat of the F-16 fighter jet sometime the middle of June to July Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 fighter jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me all right so let’s start with the big story that we’re tracking on VI on this are Russia’s launched a surprised ground offensive into kave region in Ukraine the northeastern city is Ukraine’s second largest and Moscow here could be eying its biggest land operation in the region since the War Began civilians in karia were told to flee amidst heavy fighting and Ukraine’s outgunned Army has now tried to rush AR reinforcements to try and defend the region which has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022 the president V zinski has said that there is a fierce battle that is ongoing in the area Russia started a new wave of offensive actions in this direction Ukraine met them with troops brigades and artillery it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction it is a fact but our military and Military commanders were aware of it and consider its forces in order to meet the enemy with artillery fire and according to reports that site senior Ukrainian officials Russia had Advanced into Ukraine by 1 kilometer and was then trying to create a sort of a buffer zone in both KV and in neighboring regions to prevent attacks into the Russian territory now if this Advance is confirmed that it would represent the kremlin’s biggest land operation in this part of the battlefield so far in the war but there was massive shelling that was reported in the region overnight resulting in the killing of at least about three including children while residential buildings were engulfed in fire in the attack which Ukraine said was carried out with two anti-aircraft guarded missiles meanwhile Moscow has denied targeting civilians in what it said are legitimate strikes in Ukraine’s military energy and transport infrastructure the tensions arising the potential for a direct confrontation between the NATO military Alliance and Russia recent statements that have been put forth by Poland France and Lithuania suggest that NATO troops are already present in the Ukrainian War Theater which of course points towards a dangerous escalation officially NATO has been denying these claims the Kremlin however has responded with a pretty Stark warning raising the Spectre of a wider and a bigger conflict that no one really wants our next Point get you more details [Music] the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s National Security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in ukra Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flocked with [Music] danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one all right now to give us more perspective in terms of how these developments are in fact viewed by Russia we being joined by Miss taana kulakevich she’s an associate professor at the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida U ma’am thank you very much indeed for joining us here here on this broadcast and VI and let’s in fact start off by this statement that was put out by the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk where he admitted in as many words that NATO troops are operating on the battlefield in Ukraine how do you see this to be perceived by Moscow uh hi nice to be here thank you for having me well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of NATO NATO um NATO Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we are in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that U May b or are if I can just interject that these are not just NATO Representatives so to speak Donald task was pretty categorical he said NATO troops are on the battlefield in Ukraine later he went on to state that they are perhaps advisors engineers and other instructors but he mentioned NATO troops so how does this impact the Russian perspective on this war yes so uh NATO troops but these are not in they are not in combat but as you yourself mentioned they are engineers and they are helping in training so they are not in combat and um that perceived by Russia as it’s always perceived by Russia as a tool for propaganda informational Warfare is called Warfare for a reason because it works and the reaction from Russia is expected they are threatening uh with um retaliations every time and as we hearing about the nukes tactical nuclear weapons this has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years so I would not be surprised or um worried too much because again NATO troops uh discussion is not new all right and also the fact that this moment the breaking news that has come that Ukraine will receive its first batch of the F-16 fighter jet sometime in the middle of June to July now Russia has been categorical it has said that the F-16 fighter jets are nuclear capable and therefore they will see the F-16 figh Jets operated by the ukrainians as a clear nuclear threat in the war theater how do you think Russia would respond well uh now we see this uh still conversations and we should not forget that Russia is allies with China which uh does not want any nuclear retaliations and as we see now um uh you know she uh is meeting with European union leaders and is not interested in um escalations uh China is all about Economic Development and economic ties they are looking how to kind of benefit and develop the relationships so I would say for now it’s still conversations and f-16s may may be carrying nukes but they are not there for that reason they are there to stop and push back Russians which are in the East pushing Ukraine right now all right we’ll have to leave you there thank you very much indeed Miss taana kovich for joining us and getting us that perspective then no problem thank you for having me now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the koras it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is fraught with danger President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia bu report we on world is one a pretty big development Ukraine has now said that it expects to get its very first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies in June July months according to a high ranking Ukrainian military Source Ukraine has sought us made F16 F Jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for a period of 2 years now according to reports the source is not said is to which country will supply these F Jets so far Denmark the Netherlands Norway and Belgium have committed to sending the americanmade F-16 F Jets to Ukraine remember Russia has time again warned that Ukraine’s acquisition of F-16 F Jets will be viewed as a nuclear capable threat the Russian foreign Ministry has also described the deployment of f-16s as is a purposeful provocation by the United States and NATO the Ukrainian Pilots are completing their training to fly the war planes in the pilots and ground staff been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for many months the Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small Fleet of Soviet era Jets as it had fought to hold back Russia’s fullscale Invasion that started in February 2022 and our earlier spoke with Miss tsana K she’s an associate professor in the school of interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of Florida listening to what she have to [Music] say well um as I see it it is not a new uh development we we have been hearing about uh potential presence of nat Nat um Nat Representatives let’s say uh since last year in April 2023 this current uh uh announcement was made actually in March not in we in May right now and um uh president of Czech Republic Peter pav clarified that this uh uh NATO Representatives that um may may be or are located in Ukraine as the Russia Ukraine war rages on Ukrainian forces are pulling out all stops to prevent Russian troops from progressing deeper into the country on your screen a visual from Eastern y Ukraine’s thees region where Russian forces are creeping in taking the front lines deeper into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainian soldiers are scrambling at sunrise in order to build fortified defense lines and fend off Russian attacks we can see them shelling somewhere between 6:00 and 8: in the morning they are preparing for an assault after 8 the Infantry units started advancing given the developments on the Eastern Front Line UK UK’s President Vladimir zilinski said on Thursday that the Army is facing a quote unquote really difficult situation in eastern regions it is important that we are not just living but we are fighting we are fortifying strengthening we are reaching agreements we apply maximum pressure on our partners for increased weapons delivery if the weapons delivery is increased we will be able to stop in in the East where they have the advantage which is not a secret we need to stop them and take over the advantage while ladimir zalinski was addressing a joint presser with European Parliament president Roberta metsola air sirens were heard in the background what you live through every day now will meanwhile ukra ukine has also ramped up its attack on Russian territory in the latest Ukrainian shelling on Border villages in Russia has belgaro and K oblast regions respectively now as per governors of both the regions the attack killed two people on Thursday now tensions are rising over the potential for a direct clash between NATO and Russia recent statements by Poland France and Lithuania suggesting NATO troop presence in Ukraine point to a dangerous escalation while NATO denies these claims the krelman has responded with Stark warnings raising the Spectre of a wider [Music] conflict the shadow of a protracted Ukraine war is igniting Regional fears of a NATO Russia confrontation polish prime minister Donald Tusk admits as much even as he expresses concern over a direct [Music] War there are some troops there I mean soldiers there are some soldiers there observers Engineers they’re helping them out we’ll see how it goes but you know nobody wants a direct War the Kremlin is unequivocal in its War warnings stating that any deployment of NATO forces within Ukraine’s borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russia’s national security tensions have been further heightened by Russia cautioning France that any troops to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets macro has more than once insisted that he has no objections on deploying French boots in Ukraine Lithuania too has joined the korus it says it is prepared to send its soldiers on a training mission to Ukraine the NATO leadership along with us and UK has strongly spoken out against any deployment of troops in Ukraine as it will bring the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow the situation is flau with Danger [Music] President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills Moscow calls the Mover a direct response to NATO’s potential troop deployment signaling the gravity of the threat perceived by Russia B report we on world is one outlining plans for continuity in government amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical and economic challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mikel mishustin named for appointment as the prime minister of Russia Putin recently secured for another six-year term following a landslide re-election Victory a victory which was deemed a foregone conclusion this decision is being seen as wafer Puttin to maintain stability within his cabinet which has included the likes of Defense Minister SEI Shu and foreign minister SEI lavro for over a decade however it is the name of Mel misten that has grabbed the attention of inter ational observers Putin’s decision to retain Mr sin a technocrat credited with managing Russia’s economy through turbulent times as a result of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine signals a strategy of steady governance but who is Mel mtin Mikel mtin was first appointed the head of government in January 2020 and has since been regarded as the chief technocrat in Putin’s rural ruling apparatus or the Duma he he was appointed as Putin as a replacement of Dimitri medev in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine Mr stin took a central role in the war effort and in fact has also been the subject of West

Three civilians had been killed and eight more injured after a Ukrainian missile struck a restaurant in Donetsk city on Saturday (May 11), Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of east Ukraine’s Donetsk region, said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.

#russiaukrainewar #Putin #wion

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