ah, ah, ah ah, this is dw news why, from berlin? ukraine's president calls again for face to face talks with his russian counterpart . but a lot of your soleski says, a meeting with letting your put in is the only way to understand his position, to end the war in ukraine. but he says, any agreement with russia must be put to the ukrainian people in a referendum. also coming up, follow routine leader alexandra lucas. jenko has embraced his country's role as a staging post for vladimir putin to war on ukraine. but he has not committed any

fellow with the fighting so far. ah, i'm soon so much gone to glad to have you with us. ukrainian army says it is repelled russian forces from a strategically important suburb of the capital. key of the defense ministry says the outcome of the battle in the suburb of market, if has prevented russia from surrounding the capital from the northwest. ukrainian president followed, or mister lansky says he is willing to discuss the commitment from ukraine not to seek nato membership in exchange for a ceasefire. withdrawal of russian troops and ukrainian security guarantees. but he says it is essential to discuss terms one on one with russian president vladimir putin and the ukrainian people will have to agree to the terms in a referendum. in the meantime, russia's war of aggression against ukraine continues.

ah, in the occupied ukrainian city of castle residents gather in defiance of the russian invaders. the response stung grenades and gunfire, causing the crowd to scatter ukraine's president vladimir zalinski condemned the incident in his speech to the mason, sierra bly. yankee, these slaves sent by russia have never seen so many free people in the squares and streets. they have never seen thousands of people who are not afraid of them. are slaves with weapons in the hands rumble slaves, pussy freedom of savagery. has danger yet they are scared, never spoke when they are, but a lack rushes military is not only attacking civilians in areas and occupies. it's also talking civilian targets in areas. it's not monday's bombing of

a shopping mall in keith and the relentless bombardment of the besieged city of maria, pull of course outreach in ukraine in abroad. but it is not we can ukrainian resolve the prism enclose his speech with an appeal leopard at dongle, natalie, to save our people, fight wouldn't fight and held him in double might drive the slaves out the harbor drive the occupy as out. okay, so that ukraine lives so that all of us live with 80 free and peaceful ne villa in when these 3, he's me and speaking later to the press to lensky, said that any peace deal with russia had to be sanctioned by the people here. genesis that i have not met with the russian negotiators, but explained to our negotiators that the talks that when one is talking about changes and these changes are of historic importance, even there is no other way around it. we will have to whole the referendum when you

called in the den, which will bring them under a friend having suffered through war, ukrainians ought to have a say on the piece that follows when it come sheaves. let's go right to ukraine. we can speak to our correspondent funny for char, she is in love. if that is a city in the west of the country. funny, it's good to see you. we heard president zelinski say that he is willing to give up nato aspirations in return for peace. do you think that that could spark progress towards some sort of agreement? that's the hope at least 4 people here on the ground. but at the same time, this is not the 1st time the president zalinski acknowledged that ukraine should renounce membership and ne, to at least for now as a result, since the statement was made already earlier this month. politically, it's not expected that anything is going to change immediately or any time soon.

also, we have to remember that within that catalogue of demands by russia, this is just one of the demands that ukraine shouldn't join nato. they also made clear that they are invading this country to day, not to fight into demilitarize it on the grounds on the grounds of the accusation that ukraine is committing a genocide. also, present zalinski keeps repeating actually for one year. now that he wants a direct meeting with a vladimir putin who back that before the war kept saying, well, this is a civil war in ukraine when it comes to the don bus region occupied by a pro russian a separatist and the ukraine should deal with it on its own since then of course the war has begun in february 24th. and so far what we have seen where various negotiations between the delegations of both countries, but no direct talks and also no stop to the war, let alone just a little bit of a brief respite. at least that hundreds of thousands of people could be evacuated,

at least from by your pool, which is really the focus here in ukraine. funny. but what about zalinski saying that he wants the ukranian people to have a say on any decision? would that mean a referendum? that's what he says, that's what he's basically telling the people here the ukrainians, that i'm not going to negotiate over the occupied territories or a what he's seen as all q by territories in this moment of time without asking you ukrainians. so clearly he said he wants to referendum on that, but really the detail here is quite sketchy. about a referendum because just imagine you have a referendum asking people, do you agree for example, that will give out part of a land. something that zalinski kept saying over and over ukraine, he's not ready to do, and ukrainians are not ready to do. as a result, you really want to know what the referendum is going to look like and what the consequences of that are going to look like. but let's that you've got lose far, because at this point, what people are trying to achieve on

a political level here and ukraine to somehow get larger, more pooty and all that negotiation table with the president of all of them you zalinski did up. he's funny for, to reporting forth there from the live in western ukraine. thank you very much for that update now to some other stories making headlines. u. s. presidential biden is urging american companies to protect themselves against potential cyber attacks from russia. he also repeated u. s. warnings that moscow was planning to use chemical weapons against ukraine, bitin has called president vladimir putin. a war criminal dozens of ukrainian orphans on their way to the u. k. are stuck in poland because of missing paperwork . british authorities say they are working to accept the children who have been waiting to travel for 2 weeks. the governments come under criticism for its slow response to those fleeing the war. a russian court has found opposition,

figure alexi nev on the guilty on charges of fraud. he could face 13 more years in a penal colony on top of the 2 and a half year sentence. he is already serving of all, he has denied the charges and says the case is politically motivated. speculation continues to grow that bella roost will commit troops to russia's war against ukraine. the country has already allowed moscow to use it as a military base and place its weapons there. the bela ruffian, leader, alexander, look a shank o. as said, the country would not get involved in any military action, but he might not have a choice to leaders demonstrating how close they have become. russia is vladimir putin usually keeps his guests at more than arms, language cooper, but not this one. bella bruce is alexander lucas. sion co has become essential to his military operation even before he invaded ukraine.

at the beginning of february, the 2 countries held joint military exercises. the drills were a show of strength and more proof to the outside world that bela roost had become a russian satellite. off to russia invaded ukraine. bella ruth, even changed its constitution to reverse it. no nuclear status. ah, that means all russian weapons including nuclear, are allowed on belive rossi in soil. because cushing co has so far, refused to commit his forces to aid putin's war a minute near february are not going to get involved in the operation that russia is conducting in ukraine. through last year, but i would most importantly,

i'm telling you as a military serviceman, there is no need for it when your credulous. oh, that surprised many but that doesn't appear to be the appetite for russia's war, even among former soldiers who left bella roost. and now fighting with ukrainian forces at only $45000.00 active members, the beller will see an army is tiny compared to rushes. it appears though that moscow needs reinforcements. after losing an estimated $6000.00 troops since its invasion of ukraine. russia is already using bela bruce as a military base for its war to have access to its army as well. could help moscow in its campaign against the ukrainian capital cave. and the city of levine was go,

bella roost may be resisting such a move. but if poaching decides, he needs even more from his neighbor lucas shanker, will find it hard to say no more. i mean, we can get the more perspective on the story now with yoga for player, he is the director for central and eastern europe at the german marshall fund of the united states. here in berlin, good to have you with us is there at this point, any evidence that we could see bela roost, join russia's war against ukraine? yes, absolutely. basically what we see our preparation in the ocean military to if needed, and so ordered by the kremlin adjoining the rest of the war against ukraine, the country house ready by 11. but howdy and tactical groups, and this i was fellows, so near the border with, with ukraine biographies, i'll mechanize 5 of the 6 somewhat more elite. i sold the unit and then

the brigade. so they're all troops that have been, have been ready by billows that have been stationed in the country, and that in mind to about 10 percent of the russian military engaged already in, in ukraine. so this is non negligible that would indicate that russia is essentially using bel ruth, as we said earlier, as a military posts. so, i mean, how much influence does the russian president have over bela bruce? well, i think 1st we need to acknowledge that below is, is already engaged in this war. it basically lend that territory to russia as the military stage and ground its lenses infrastructure, rail and growth. there are actually 2 fields that are being used for rocket attacks on, on the ukraine, down the hospital before this russia casualties. so it's already

fully engaged here. but of course, it's just a step away from direct engagement, military and invading the neighboring country. and this is really something is not in the hands of lucre shank over many more looking. it's basically a bustle to, to pushing you for the last 2 years. at least you politically fully dependent on moscow. because otherwise, he couldn't have re stabilized his power after the protests that we saw in 2020. he is economically dependent on russia, on energy, on the finances. he's also in the same boat with russia when it comes to western sanction. and the political isolation, so there is very little agency that back to the question i have left to basically occupy his own country politically using a legit, it's a legitimate ruler. and he allowed russia to also basically militarily occupy his country. so there's very little he can do it brush,

how ordered him to join the invasion of ukraine and just one last question. if they do take that next step of direct engagement, as you said, what direction would the war then go? what impact would that house? well, i think the assessment of the right below said military is that it is not particularly motivated. it's not particularly operational. so this will not be a boost to russia as war in, in ukraine. if anything, it will also be hampered by very difficult terrain because the borderlands between ukraine and, and taylor was a very marshy, they're very hard to operate in the for, for military. so i don't think this will be a boost in military terms, but what it will do, of course, is 1st, it will lead to also a full responsibility for the looper. shanker, receiver for the war and war crimes in, in ukraine. right. and this will certainly also permanently our social

relationships between bellows and ukrainian society. ok, you know, for the director for central and eastern europe at the german marshall fund. thanks so much for sharing your analysis with us today. thank you. coming up next. the big day for tesla in germany, the 1st electric vehicles produced just outside of berlin are rolling out of the new factory that's coming up next on the w business. ah . what does war do to people are hatred and violence inherited from generation to generation and award winning documentary searches for answers for 2 years. the author accompanies a cell of his family in northern syria insights into the.