Russia EU Ban, page-333

AFR 3.3.23 M. Schwirtz said

"In his speech, Mr Putin predicted a new victory in Ukraine. He lambasted Germany for helping to arm Kyiv with new Leopard 2 battle tanks and said he was ready to draw on Russia’s entire arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons.

“We aren’t sending our tanks to their borders,” Mr Putin said. “But we have the means to respond, and it won’t end with the use of armour. Everyone must understand this.”

The number of Russian troops killed or wounded since Mr Putin launched his invasion nearly a year ago is nearing 200,000, US and other Western officials estimate, up from an estimate of over 100,000 in November, swelled by the intense but largely stalemated fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine".

V. Putin has again implied Russia is willing to consider using nuclear weapons, to achiev victory in its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

THe EU, UK, G7, NATO & Japan etc. are increasingly angered & appalled at such implied nuclear threats, & Putin's intentions to intimidate & dominate Europe. They are hardening their resolve against Russia, that it must fully withdraw from all Ukrainian territory, to pre-2014 borders (ie before Russia's first invasion of Ukraine).

There are now discussions about the possibilty to provide, for the first time, modern NATO jet fighters to Ukraine -Russia now dominates Ukrainian air space, with its huge Air Force, nos. of missiles & drones etc.

eg Breaking Defense 8.3.23 T. Martin said

"BELFAST — UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has formally requested British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace look into which RAF combat jets could be supplied to the Ukraine Air Force, following an announcement that London will offer to train Ukrainian fighter pilots for the first time.

The move to transfer fighter jets did not appear imminent, however, as Sunak said it’s intended to serve as a “long-term solution rather than a short-term capability.” But it could mark a pivotal moment in the fight against Russia by kick-starting deliveries of highly capable, Western-made aircraft.

.

In a statement from Sunak’s office, released ahead of a visit to the UK today by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, London said that as part of talks between the two leaders, Sunak “will offer to bolster the UK’s training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future.”

The Ukraine Air Force currently operates Su-24, Su-25 and MiG-29 Soviet-era fighter jets, but Zelensky has long called on equipment supply partners to gift F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, an aircraft type that the Royal Air Force (RAF) does not operate, and one which the US has so far declined to provide.

“The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future,” Sunak’s Office said. A spokesperson for the office told Breaking Defense it didn’t immediately have more information to share".
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/02/uk-to-offer-to-train-ukrainian-fighter-pilots-will-look-at-potential-jet-transfers/