a ah ah, this is news line from berlin, major new weapons package for you. great. the u. s. analysis more military aid to the embattled country. the vine administration says it will send heavy artillery drums and ammunition to assist ukraine's forces. also had i when grip rushes vladimir putin claims victory in the besieged city of maria, but calls all the storming of the last new plan. you hold out orders a blockade instead of the last pocket of ukrainian resistance to avoid more russian

losses. and the grim search for evidence of possible war crimes. ukraine is zooms, is dead from mass graves searching for clues. we hear from a mother who signed never came home. ah hello everyone, i'm layla, iraq. thank you so much for joining us. the united states is stepping up, it's military support for ukraine a short time ago as president joe barton announced a new tranche of military support worth $800000000.00 for keith. this latest package is in addition to billions of dollars of military equipment. washington has already given to ukraine's government president mindset. the package would contain heavy weaponry that the government in ukraine says it desperately needs. today, i'm announcing love $800000000.00 to further augment ukraine's ability to fight in

the east of the dom boss region. this package includes heavy artillery weapons, dozens of our teachers, and $144000.00 rounds of ammunition to go with those however. it also includes more tactical drones. michael commission is a historian and a former us state department expert on russia and ukraine during the obama administration. i asked him how significant the new military package is for ukraine . well, it's a substantial amount of money and what's i think more significant than the immediate is that it's a part of a continuum of age flowing from united states and also from many european countries toward ukraine. and it's a demonstration in a different sense of resolve that there's a strong and deepening commitment to ukraine on the part of the united states. and it's translated partners. now, as you know, there is this offensive that russia has unleashed in the east of the country. we

heard person buying say that they want the us wants the weapons to go to the front line immediately, but we unlist sickly. how quickly can they get there? well, i think it can be really quite quick. i think there's a way in which the outside suppliers, military suppliers of ukraine have been learning, had added, transmit these weapons to the front. and it's not a secret where the russians are at the moment and where the russians are going to strike. it's very, very clear. so, you know, i think that the methods are there and the destination is really not ambiguous. so i think it will come very quickly to grain. and speaking about the ukranian army, what chance do they have to fend off this offensive? it's truly anybody's guess in terms of the day to day military outcomes. they've so far done very, very well in the north. but the terrain is going to be more difficult for them in the south. it's more wide open and the russians are changing tactics and will

likely be, i think, more successful than they were in the north, but whether they can really overcome you great in the south, the east. i think it's unlikely. and what's your assessments are in terms of this support that the u. s. is providing ukraine, is it sustainable? 7 i think it certainly sustainable you see enormous will in congress, that's really where the money is coming from. it's one of the few issues. i went to republicans and democrats really agree in washington, and i think that the white house is very happy to have this congressional support. so i think that there is no way that this military aid is going to stop or slow down in the short medium term. a very striking comment that the president made as well as well as regarding the west banning russian affiliated ships from us ports. how significant is that? i don't know if the in and of itself is hugely significant. i don't think there's a big trading relationship between russia and united states in either direction. but it's the slow tightening of the news around the russian economy and the gradual

abrupt and gradual isolation of the russian economy. and so as part of this larger pattern, russia just the markets and options closing off. and that will, over quite a long period of time that will have a dramatic effect on the russian academy. michael kim, it's historian an expert on russia and ukraine. so thank you for taking our questions, greatly appreciate it. thank you for having me. you as president bind also said there is, quote, no evidence that mighty who ball has fallen to russia. it comes after moscow tried to claim victory. they're saying russian forces have successfully liberated the port city and south eastern ukraine. the as a star steel plant is the last place in murray who bowl still in ukrainian hands. it's believed some 2000 soldiers and around a 1000 civilians are sheltering. their keith is demanding. moscow opened a humanitarian cord or to let civilians leaf president putin called off plans to

storm the complex. instead in a televised meeting, he told his defense minister to completely seal off the area, our port now on the steel plat that has become a symbol of ukrainian resistance. the vast as of style steel plant, seen hair and footage from russian state television. it's the last part of my to you full under ukrainian control. after nearly 2 months of heavy fighting. with much of the strategic port and ruins. president putin has claimed a victory in the city and told his defense minister to seal off its defenders in their last stronghold. but it'll, again, by considered the proposed storming of the industrial area pointless by order to aborted emotionally. there is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl under ground through these industrial facilities block off this industrial area is obligatory to so that not even a fly can get through. will you please?

well, never succeed in dominating but in washington. u. s. president joe biden dismissed pupils claims. it's questionable whether he does control. one thing for sure. we know about variable. he should allow your managerial corners to let people on that steel mill and other places are buried under rumble. to get out to get out. that's what any, any, any head of state would do in such a circumstance. and so there is no evidence yet that mary paused completely fall. ukrainian authorities have also urged moscow to open humanitarian car doors to allow those sheltering in the heavily bombarded as of style plant to flee. these pictures provided by the plants defenders show some of the hundreds of civilians and said to be sheltering and bunkers below the steelworks. but previous efforts to organize evacuations from either you will have heard little success. some $100000.00 residents are thought to still be living among the rooms.

in kiva ukrainian president followed the middle to landscape speaking alongside his spanish and danish counterparts. remains defined in the face of russia. the soldiers announced that they will bring more weapons to you. young, i know that they've captured most of my jo paul a long time ago. we were very aware of that. but there is a part of our city where our service men remain and they'll stay there for now. bookish when they come, zohler sighs, with no surrender planned by those blockaded in the as of style steel plant, there is growing, concerned that those trapped inside could starve. dr. glee us no call is an expert on russia's foreign and security policy. i asked her, what she thinks is behind present brewton decision not to storm the steel plant in

multiple and i think effectiveness of our ignition that to storm it will be very difficult for the russians and they will sustain heavy losses and that they will take a long time, so i would go along with sort of put in his own assessment that essentially it's not effective for the russian troops to store met, lose a lot of manpower. and actually, it is more effective from the point of view of the russian troops to blood could continue the blockade because of the plans are unable to resupply the troops in the as awful as all still plowed. and therefore, you know, it will be a matter of time to the blockade effectively created situation with the fight as will have to come out. and the russians would like to preserve the troops, they would like to move them to dumbass, to link them up with their trips in the hans can done yes, and therefore they are not prepared to lose them over the the complicate

of austell. so what happens next? now, what does victory look like for the russians? i think that this is a $1000000.00 question. we don't know. i think commentators and i would agree with this estimate to say that in some ways put in can turn anything into victory. the russian public, over on the whole seems to be supporting the war. they don't seem to have a good idea as to what a victory looks like. and in that respect, i think it is down to put in what he wants to see as a victory. and i think that's why the situation so dangerous because you simply don't know what is enough to put it. you know, is a victim mario full enough? is the taking over of all of the la hans done. yes. last victory is, is pushing by the, into the pots of east and ukraine is, is getting a negotiation between himself and the density. we don't know at this stage what a sufficient thing that is why it is

a dangerous situation develops. dr. glerison, a cough, an expert on russia's foreign insecurity policy. thank you very much for taking our questions. thank you. with calls going for germany to act faster to arm ukraine to fight russian forces. there are media reports. the government here in berlin is preparing an arm swap with fellow you and nato member states. lavinia, under the deal, civilian forces, would send a large number of tanks to ukraine to replace these germany would provide slovenia with tanks from its home supplies. germany is already supplying large amounts of weaponry and ammunition directly to the ukrainian army, but it has not delivered tanks. ukrainian investigators are carrying out the painstaking work of zooming bodies from makeshift graves as part of an effort to gather evidence of alleged war crimes

committed by russian troops or forensic teams do their work. relatives of those killed weight nearby to claim their loved ones. our correspondent mathias bellinger joined other journalists on a visit to the town of 40 aga near keith, and he spoke to one mother whose son never came home to the police. it has become a grim routine. dozens of mass graves have been opened here in the past. few weeks, but for an additional boy corps, this is the day she has been waiting for. her son was being ex you today will show that more. he was on his way back. he called to say he'd be home soon, but he never came. question to him, boy cole was shot on the street in the early days of the war. his body was given a makeshift burial on the grounds of a hospital when the morgue had to close because it had no power. please say that here in the northern suburbs of keys,

they have recovered more than 1000 bodies. overdue with the town of what our younger was heavily shelled and then occupied by russian forces. life is too far from normal supermarkets and shops looted and destroyed. people here depend on a deliveries to survive at the hospital, police have exam 9 bodies to day it was civilians were shocked in the streets or run over by times some have yet to be identified. nozzle that got there about a through unfortunately we'll be doing this work for many more years already, but we'll work as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. so we have sold evidence to hold the aggressor accountable in the international courts. we see not only those who did it from you know, but also those who ordered you to get the more than that give nor you cannot

the recovered bodies are being sent to the morgue for forensic examination will then be returned to their relatives. that it is the bill. hm. i know that his soul is gone. i know this is just a body, but it's the body that i used to hug and love the way it is good. it's my child. i cry every day because of the blood. my dish dot boy cause one small comfort at soon she will be able to bury her son property in watching the w news. this is a reminder now of our top story. the u. s. will send more military aid to ukraine. the bible administration says it will give hundreds of millions of dollars of heavy artillery drones to ukraine in addition to the equipment it has already supplied.

he watching every news life from berlin up next. our documentary series takes you on one of the world's most famous real journeys the glacier express. i'm layla, iraq, and brilliant on behalf of volunteer. thank you for making this part of your day. i look forward to seeing you tomorrow with the stories that move people of the world over information. they provide the opinions they want to express d, w on facebook and twitter up to date and in touch.