russia thereby demonstrates that they also have the picture they create, it does not correspond to the real state of affairs, otherwise some actions would have been completely different, had character, that is, they are now, it seems to me , concentrating all their forces, all possibilities until the summer in order to achieve the capitulation of ukraine. well, it is obvious that the latest statements, including those of dmitry piskov, putin's press secretary, who stated that ... we previously talked about a special military operation, and there is a war going on, and russia is in the state of war with ukraine, allegedly because the west began to support ukraine, the interview in the newspaper, arguments and facts, he said that literally, we are in a state of war, so it started as a special military operation, but as soon as there a battle was formed when the collective event became a participant on the side of... ukraine, for us

it has already become a war, i am convinced of this, everyone must understand this for their internal mobilization, and at the same time he blurted out that russia cannot allow the existence of a state on its borders, which the intention to use any methods to take crimea from it is documented, not to mention the territories of new regions, that is, everything is completely turned upside down, later pisco began to justify himself, said that there are ieds in yure. but de facto it is already a war, and what is on piskov's tongue, obviously putin has the ability to wage war on omischa for a long time, does this mean that with the next, the next so-called elections of putin, let them be different are already approaching war with ukraine and are moving to some new stage, which they should hold there during 2020. the important legal point here is

, no wonder, the state of war, if they declared it in russia, it would change a lot, not in the situation itself, of course, at the front, but in russia , it would really be a signal of a completely different nature, that's why he began to take back his words , he deliberately said it, of course, but began to correct it, i have my own version of this, it does not pretend. to the ultimate truth, but i may admit with a great deal of condescension: these figures, which were drawn putin, in this farce, which they call the 87% election, they do not correspond to reality , they do not correspond, the difference with the real support that is in russia and the figures of this that they drew, they know, well... a narrow

circle, well it is not so narrow, i think that it can break through somewhere, and therefore it seems to me that it happened that putin, on the contrary, now needs to concentrate power again, because he realized that, well, let's say, already his entourage, we took power for another six years, and now let's think about all the burdens divide wars and how who gets what during this time. there are many dissatisfied people there, so he needs to strengthen his role again, and he strengthens his role through the entrusted ministry of defense to those areas that he controls, because there are other towers of the kremlin there, so in my opinion, this is in order to again to return control in such an environment to the knowledgeable, it turned out that he is the king... there

you can proclaim, provide, er, all kinds of candidates, defeat and everything else, but then the question arises, and the same methods are used again. that's how i interpret it this, i interpret it as a weakness of putin, a weakness that has received a real situation, which is known only to a very small circle around, around him. well , but at the same time, the ministry of defense of great britain wrote... in a tweet on behalf of the ministry of defense , it is written that russia will attack critical infrastructure of ukraine as long as it has the means to do so, and the month-long pause in strikes using long-range aircraft was caused by management problems planning of the aircraft fleet, i will quote the message of the ministry of defense. russia will almost certainly continue to strike critical targets as aircraft, aircrews, and weapons stockpiles allow in an effort to maintain pressure on the ukrainian government. and population due to their ability

to strike in confrontational conditions, this is a sign of a prolonged campaign where tactical aircraft such as fighter jets and helicopters continue to have a limited impact on the overall e . that from now on and for a long time russia will shell ukraine, because they will never run out of airplanes, helicopters and missiles, because they still produce them and continue to produce them, because russia is a country that, as a rule, exports oil, gas, war, fear, intimidation of the world. well, look , we see a lot of such conclusions, they have the right to exist, but i will tell you, one thing you need to understand, you don't need to believe everything that they say, and that it is directly

reliable, you quoted me, that there is ordinary aviation , it will not have such an impact here, and the cabs are from where, from which planes, they are not strategic bombers are launched dryer, they launch coffee, and , let's say, the consequences of this and that weapon, they are serious and sensitive for us, but what does that mean that aviation will not matter, and if there are 60 additional f16s, it will have some significance with the corresponding weapons, and why, again, they will not matter. if they are set off there when they try to launch the bombs, then they won't matter , as far as the bombers are concerned, well, first of all, uh , of course, i've already said, they're weapons of nuclear war, and what's going on, i just, i it just shocks me that no one, not china

, is looking at this, the weapons of nuclear war are used to kill people, just to kill people with what they launch, that is, it is absolutely a last resort, and they use everything, when they say that the escalation of russia, well, excuse me, strategic bombers are used, now or how long is this all possible? first of all, for all this, pilots are also needed , they are needed, and their restoration, repair is needed, because after all, a lot of time has passed, and it is necessary to constantly follow them... yes, they are still active, but you still need to think, you need to think about how to try to get them to their bases, they have already pulled these bombers far into the sea, but that's all well done, our guys

will find a way, i'm sure, to reduce this kind of threat, we can't find... a response to them now, but you know, there was a time when we didn't have a response to other means, but gradually it was found, in relation to the actions of the partners, if they say that this is what russia continues to do, so they have to think in terms of how to minimize this threat, that's all, if there are cabs, for example, the bombs that are currently destroying our border there, and they just throw it all over the houses, then... electronic warfare systems, such systems are in the leading countries , so it is possible for us not to put pressure there all the time on the same types of distant, as they say , missiles, but let’s talk about it now, because in principle there is a technique against each scrap,

and even against all of them there are also and, for example, it is not just the infrastructure that is being hit, we are not hitting ours. on infrastructure, i.e. just somewhere, and specifically we saw it very precisely, selectively in oil refineries that give just fuel for the war, but no matter what anyone says, it works, it works, and you have to find it where produce fuel for these bombers, and it will work, and when these bombers do not have pilots, fuel and everything else, then they will be with iron, well, but for this you need to ... work, well, you, you, you mentioned the oil refineries factories, about our strikes on refineries, today fti wrote about what seems to be the united states the americans called on ukraine to stop attacks on russia's energy infrastructure, and in particular

on oil refineries, which three anonymous sources referred to, after which the vice-prime minister for european and euro-atlantic integration. earlier she stated that oil refineries on the territory of russia are legitimate targets of ukraine from a military point of view, in particular by nato standards. well, there is the statement of the secretary of the national security service of ukraine , oleksiy danilov, during the kyiv security uniform. who stated that ukraine has the right to independently choose targets for attacks on russian territory, let's listen to what danilo said, it's quite such an unexpected thing, but i don't know who did it and why, but america is a big country, and it can't afford such things, well, logically, that as for our war, the key word connecting our war is me... we are not going to ask anyone that we will attack on the territory of russia, we will destroy the russians

wherever we find them, everything related to the military-industrial complex , the russian federation, we will not ask anyone permission mr. valery, is it possible to assume that such conversations could have taken place between washington and kyiv, and washington could have warned kyiv not to attack russia's... refining capacities, because they say oil prices will rise there, although, on the contrary , oil exports there are on the contrary increasing. because the oil refinery already produces some kind of oil product, well, such and such a conversation, by the way, on the sidelines of the forum, i also just came from there, the kyiv security forum, very powerful, by the way, there was a two-day event, and there was a lot on the sidelines this topic was discussed, precisely by our... partners, and i was asked such a question, not so much by the americans, but by the british,

french, spanish, that is, i think that i do not want to speculate, there is a statement, well, there is a statement by a bastard, that is, no i know how to take it, that is, as an official position, but she denies that in the negotiations there jake salim ... that he passed such information, no one will say about it, of course, publicly, well , let's say that the secretary the nsdc said that no matter what the talks were, it was part of our strategy, so he confirmed that it was so, therefore, in principle, this page can be turned over, ukraine really has to do it, we have no choice, we have no choice, that is, we cannot afford it. in defense you don't defend yourself, it's defense, it's not an offensive

, it's purely a kind of defense, an offensive is what you occupy territories, and if you hit communications or warehouses or factories, that, by the way, saves lives , as it is not surprising, even the enemy, the occupier, that is, it simply deprives him of some means, is now moving into such a stage that there is no destruction. russia's ability to wage war by various means, and by strengthening sanctions , to cut off bypasses there, in this way , without this it is impossible to do anything, sorry, i would say so, enter a complete embargo on oil products for russia throughout the world, which should have been done according to its sanctions, which were not embargoes are applied, that is, we can talk about something even then. and if all this is not just refueling tanks or planes, but also goes to

earnings and strengthens the possibilities of continuing the war, then this war will indeed be long, but if these possibilities are cut, then the terms of the war will be shortened. ukraine is interested in not waging a war of attrition with russia, and not waging a war of attrition means doing as much as possible now with the help of partners, they should wake up. and understand that the time has come, if they don't do it, russia will really prepare, and then they won't see much, so now, let them just think better how to strengthen the actions that ukraine is forced to take independently. by the way, the former commander of the forces of the united states of america in europe, ben hodges, advised to ignore the possible ones calls for an end to strikes on russian oil refineries and because they significantly affect the ability. to wage war, and this is also a rather revealing statement by ben hodges,

a man to be listened to. in addition, the eu summit ended today in brussels, the head of the european commission, ursula fonderyan, based on the results of the brussels summit, called it possible to allocate to ukraine the first billion from the profits from frozen russian assets already in july. that the eu will act quickly to implement the necessary procedures, let's listen, what ursula fonderlajen said. now there is strong support, use. from frozen assets for military purposes for ukraine. i told the leaders that if we quickly agree to this proposal now, we will be able to allocate the first billion as early as july 1. so it's up to us, it's in our hands. if we are quick, there will be a concrete result in the summer. mr. valery, what is slowing the world down from freezing russian assets and

using them to help ukraine. well, you said about... frozen assets, that's not what they're talking about here, they're talking about profit from frozen assets, i went a little further, yes , in this respect, this is optimistic news, because knowing that, after all, the european union is a large number of countries that have to make decisions together, then this is already good news, which is so optimistic that mechanisms can already be applied in europe, because precisely the use of profits, there has always been such a position: it must be agreed between the seven countries, which include the usa, canada and european participants, and japan, and now, if they have coordinated these actions, then it will be possible to say that it is a question of use profit, it is already being solved, this year it is, well, it is not 1 billion, it is more from only europe, but then we have to go further, really

frozen assets, and here there is a problem that we, well, the people who lead the official representatives know our. but i will simply say what the problem is, they say some countries, we will keep this money frozen until russia begins to return to ukraine reparations , they call it, although the nature of these compensations may be different, but russia will not give back to ukraine after the war, i.e. we will hold, but when russia gives it, we will we will give it to russia. and such things, by the way, must be looked at very carefully. i saw in one of our new security agreements, with one of the countries, our friends, who secured in the agreement with us, the impossibility of unfreezing these funds, that is, we have to be very careful here, because it is obvious that the further this will go, they will try to use these funds for their purposes of helping ukraine, yes, but

they will not, you understand, they will take from these funds and if they would help us... with this money through the purchase of weapons there or its financial aid, that is, one must be very careful here in what plan, if it goes immediately quickly, it is important here where the money will go, i think the priority is still military-technical cooperation, the purchase of weapons, really, and not some recovery programs that can stretch there for years, we are now in survival conditions, not conditions. there is the planning of the country's development, we need to finish this task first of all, i am not against strategic planning, and it is important to show that the country will live, the country will develop, the country will be in the european union in in the future, but it is necessary that they quickly decide on these profits, so that they go to

the emir, that is, to the most necessary goals now, and our government must also form this. for them, well , the government, i mean, in our case, the office of the president, and, therefore, we need to actively talk about the next path, the use of those assets that are russian, well, so-called frozen, in belgium, it seems , in luxembourg it is about 206 billion, it is less in america, by the way, than in europe, so the ice is off the chair, but we have to move more dynamic and nato military committee chairman rob bauer, who was at the kyiv security forum, warned against excessive pessimism about ukraine's ability to win the war and called for continued support for kyiv. let's hear what rob bauer had to say. although the whole world was probably too optimistic in

2023, we should not make the same mistakes again and fall into... pessimists do not win wars, and besides, absorbing the facts, it can be argued that there is every reason to be confident in ukraine's ability succeed. all you need is our help. allies from nato and many other countries from around the world provide unprecedented support to ukraine, and this brings real results, but... well, it is clear that rob bauer is the head of the nato military committee, that is, an official of the north atlantic alliance, and it is obvious. regarding the future support, regarding the future of ukraine in the north atlantic alliance, this is a question that concerns the leaders of the countries that are part of the north atlantic alliance, but what

do you think rob bauer's words mean that that ukraine should be given more support and that nato can give more of this support, what kind of support can ukraine receive more? well, i think that ... after all, everything that is expressed, you say, there is an official, well , not exactly, admiral bauer, he has a prepared position, it is agreed, it is a political position, he stated it, by the way, nato secretary general jen stoltenberg spoke online at the kyiv security forum, he said even more, so confidently, so what statements. good, i talked to by admiral bauer, he, well , in his own right, you know, they are always military, he successfully commanded ships, he went through a lot on his own path of such simple real involvement

in military operations, that's why these military people, they are more specific, but it's all politics , in politics we need to implement what they say and turn it into real things, what can nato do? not much, actually. nato is the same nato forces that used to be called rapid reaction forces, they are several tens of thousands in total, and that's all. now they are training, there are spanish helicopters, there is the first polish tank brigade, and there, it seems, there are also the british who are leading, and it is only 7,500 only on the ground, plus aviation, plus ships. it. not such a powerful force that will turn the tide of the war, that is why we are not talking about nato, nato can help us with the means they have, they have a partial influence on intelligence data from

such reconnaissance aircraft, they have, for example, additional demining capabilities , assistance there in such humanitarian and military directions, that is, these things can be strengthened and this will be done, and we are talking... about nato countries. nato countries are a different story, precisely nato countries, in the conditions of an attack on nato, assemble their forces and jointly defend themselves. that's why we need, nato's position is important, but it is important that it turns into active actions, even more active by each of nato's members. and one more point, nato will never, if ever, introduce troops, there, nato troops. on the territory of ukraine, but i want to say one thing, moreover, there are individual nato countries and i am not forbidden to take a more active part in

this kind of presence, so in this case, i perceived it while listening directly to these speeches there, as a feeling that more active steps should be taken, and this is already understood both in nato and in washington. in paris and in berlin, you just have to keep pace with putin, because frankly speaking, he was given how it happened, this is a separate story, i don’t even want to delve into it, but putin was de facto given six months to take offensive actions, and that’s it what we are seeing now is the result of slackening of the activity of aid to ukraine, aid support. the usa also provided a package of 300 million, but that help that would change the opposition war to a maneuverable one, to something that frees the territories,

de-occupation, there was no such thing, putin got his chance of superiority, i think it is ending, and i hope that the next swing, it will go like this, that we will no longer have to discuss the issue of procrastinating with help. after all, it seems to me that the understanding that this year is still critical, it is coming, here i will tell you, just a few months ago they called the nato country may collide with russia, or russia will make a provocation in 5-8 years, the minister defense pistorius of germany, then there were statements for 2-3 years, first 5 years, then two or three, now german intelligence is 2026, and i claim that it can be even earlier, if ukraine is not strengthened, and this understanding is coming to them. and is there, is there such an understanding not only in germany, forgive me for interrupting you, but also in the united states of america, which is currently unable to come to the aid of ukraine. well, in the usa, unfortunately,

this soap opera, which was supposed to be a saga, heroically turned into a soap opera, they will pull more, and very importantly, don’t to blame someone alone, there is a separate group, republicans, democrats, this is a joint result, this is a joint result, and in this result there is actually, even a ukrainian share, which we did not show the white house to our partners. how can lendlease put the table to apply, how can you play here by jointly signing such bilateral agreements? well , it's already gone back and lendlease is being offered again, loans are being offered again, and time has already passed, so i think that i think that it's already visible that it's still going to some kind of solution, right? otherwise, it will take a few more weeks, it already looks like nothing will happen before april 9, and there are still two weeks, but the main thing in these

conditions is that america can do it now. to help ukraine, they compensated in many ways, denmark, norway, the netherlands, estonia , the baltic countries, did, now we will see what france, president macron, will bring specifically to kyiv, uh, i really want olaf scholz, so that somehow his statements are correct according to russia's assessments turned into correct decisions in some, well, important aspects, including missiles of the kind that we are very necessary, so i think that from... after all, this moment, when everyone thought that it was all, ukraine could no longer stand, something must be done, it is already here again, putin will lose it here, and it will be, on it's a pity, now to try again to press, to try again in various ways, so-called peacekeepers, mediators there, they are already drawing some buffer zones on the map of ukraine, there are already shadow negotiations, i believe that all this will not increase

and... it is very important for us now in the coming months to prepare for the fall in order to achieve our goals. thank you, mr. valery, for you conversation, it was valery chaly, diplomat, politician, extraordinary plenipotentiary ambassador, former ambassador of ukraine to the united states of america. friends, we work live on the espresso tv channel, as well as on our youtube and facebook platforms. throughout our broadcast, we conduct polls, we ask you about this, or should. ukraine to strike the critical infrastructure of russia, interim results of our tv poll, poll on tv: 96% - yes, 4% - no. we also have a survey on youtube, 97% yes, 3% no. these are the results, the interim results , of this survey, in the second part of our program, which will start exactly from... 15

minutes after the news release from our colleagues at the bbc, we will conduct, we will continue this survey, and we will have a press club with participation olga len and olga musafirova, let's talk about a lot of things, but literally the events that are unfolding before our eyes are , as the russians say, a terrorist attack in the krokusi hall building, where some people in camouflage entered and shot. more than 40 people and more than 100 people injured, in a word it looks like a terrorist attack, which organized at one time in nordost, the hibists led by putin, we will talk about all this in literally 15 minutes, don't switch, stay with espresso.

the largest attack on ukraine's energy sector since the beginning of the war. russia fired at generation facilities throughout the country. why now and whether the ukrainian energy system will be able to survive is discussed in today's edition of the bbc. i am olga polomaryuk. but before we get to today's topic, we have hot news. princess of wales kate was diagnosed with cancer. in the video statement of the princess, it is said that now she is being treated and finding out about the disease was a big shock after an incredibly difficult few months. the princess said she was feeling well and getting stronger every day. details of the disease currently.