ah, ah ah, this is the w news live from berlin. defendant's president and prime minister announced their support for nato membership. it's the 1st step in a move that would add decades of military non alignment, and popular opinion has swung in favor of joining the military alliance following russia's invasion of the crate. and keep off as a prisoner swap to get seriously wounded fighters out of the battle steel planted mattie of paul, offering to hand over russian prisoners of war in exchange. ah,

i'm still gale. welcome to the program. finland's president and prime minister have called for the country to apply for nato membership as soon as possible in a joint statement, salary minister and sign a body said nato membership would strengthen finland, security as a member of nato. finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance. finland must apply for nato membership without delay. and this is the 1st step in the process of could see finland roll, but decades of military non alignment enhancement is also expected to put pressure on sweden, which is considering applying to join the western military defense alliance. finland shares of 1300 kilometer border with russia. mood in the country has changed dramatically since moscow's invasion of ukraine as get more i for will go to brussels home of nature and d,

w correspondent at max xander. welcome max. so nato has been sending out positive signals about the possibility of finland joining other likely to be any roadblocks . right, so, so at the moment we're not them hearing that there are any major roadblocks on the way to finish nato membership at the moment. what we're hearing right now here in brussels is pretty much a relief at this a step um is likely to be taken and there seems to be a great sense that this will also keep members safe from attacks that were, that, that we're seeing was happening in ukraine at the moment. um, so given exempt from a reaction here from brussels, that you counsel present shall, michelle to day i called this historic step on that will go greatly contribute to european security called it a powerful signal of the turns. and this is pretty much in line of what we've heard over the past weeks and months. so ever since the russian build up at the ukranian border, but also since the russian invasion and, oh,

went oh and since finland started openly discussing the prospect of natal membership, i'm considering to join there. and from what we heard from a nato sector, secretary general on with installed mic in the past, also is that should a should finland and sweden decide to join, they would receive a very warm welcome and that this process would he expected process to go very quickly okay, so will this mark the big shift in finished public opinion? i'm stay with us marks. we're going to hear from the euro. rosetta a, who's been in finland, talking to people. and then we'll go back to max and more games to secure the piece. more than 3000 finished troops and 700 vehicles took part in the arrow 22 military exercises in west and finland. the exercises were conducted to with natal. it's bland. last autumn. armed forces from

5 countries are taking part of these military exercises. the host, finland is not anita member yet, but that good change soon. for the 1st time in the history, the majority of fence want to join nato at turning point in history. keenly felt by people in law, pandora, on the border with russia for decades, that they have benefited from living in peace within the boss. welcoming a steady stream of russian tourists from nearby st. petersburg says social worker, linda brant, up, in my opinion. i never saw russia as a threat, but now i'm constantly thinking about our common border. it's over a 1000 kilometers. this near by border crossing is seeing little traffic from either side at the moment. this is partly due to corona virus relate that restrictions, but it's also a direct consequence of russia's invasion of ukraine. the war has dramatically

changed to the fence attitude towards joining nato in just a few weeks. i got a mill at 1st. i thought we shouldn't get involved and military alliances, but i am, but now i think we should have made the decision a long time ago. my eyes have been opened and i no longer see nato as some kind of war association. but as a defense alliance of the lovely land for defence through deterrence has been the principal, dia, latest reinforcement of its eastern flank. in recent months. the idea being a strong defense whom not to be attacked. nato says it will benefit from the finish our mis military capabilities. i think we are ready ready to, to enter the native. if this is a will be made. we have been training to get her with her with a good partners which are basically made apart as you know, exercises for, for,

for yes. so that shouldn't be a problem. at the moment, finland, isn't they to partner, but not a member of the block source to my be promoted to that. nevertheless, finish forces have worked closely with nato for decades. ah, this deployment mentally to 1000. i met formulate them. i was, i hope that we'll join nato as soon as possible. we'll chronus saw. so buffalo fall and that the war in ukraine will end soon and that europe will live in peace and stability. i thought of a little buckle. my lie, i offer for, you know, you linda brant asked, the believe joining nature would help people, even the small, bold, a town of lump and rather feel safer. now, she says that that now at be school and stay before lunch is only possible, as in the to member. wow. go back to mac xander in brussels. so max,

there were say at the finish hope, but nato membership would protect them from any russian invasion. but russia used the pretext of nature expansion to go into ukraine. so is there a fear amongst the nato membership, but this might backfire? right, so russian retaliation has been a major concern here. that's true, but perhaps some that the threat is not as eminent as we've we, we've believed my colleague, terry schultz actually spoke to the nato. m ambassador. that if, if finland finished nato ambassador and asked him about this, the situation there. and he told her that at the moment there, he does not see any signs at this stage that russia is supp. it's aggression against finland and in prospect of a potential and nato membership. that being said, finland also relies heavily on its military deterrence. they have very strong military, they have relied on this in the past. and in addition to this,

for the period where finland has a or will apply for nato membership. and for that, the waiting period where it does not have nato membership and does not have the protection of the alliance. there are other countries such as the u. k, who stepped up and issued secured guarantees to finland. and we expect other countries to follow, should russia actually step up its aggression against villain and start the road operations along the border, or perhaps a cybersecurity attacks. and a quick, what about the other potential em nato, a member's a sweet and we know isa considering applying to join. and ukraine has a asked to join, how likely are those so we expect that sweden and finland altogether announced some their, their, their final that better they're the finally announced that they will apply for nato . and we expect this to go very rapidly to finish swedish cases. actually it's, it's quite extraordinary, they exceed nato expectations, they have very highly developed militaries and they have highly developed

democracies, a very, a little, little, little corruption, so forth. these are all things that ukraine or other countries are lacking right now. so while we expect that the situation with sweden and finland will go quickly, the, the exception process and the other members of nato allowing them to, to, to, to apply this is perhaps, this is at the moment it seems unlikely for other members or for other countries such as ukraine might vander in brussels. thank you. will you christ proposing a prisoner swamp to try and resolve the stand off of the as of style steel planted . mateo paul diplomacy wounded ukrainian soldiers that evacuated in exchange. ukraine would release up more russian prisoners of war in wild ukrainian force. you say they've successfully pushed back russian troops around the city of the northeastern city of hockey, or some residence who fled the fighting have begun to return to their villages.

go to my home at last. tatiana has returned to her village for the 1st time in 2 months. but there's not much left of her house. her garden is littered with the aftermath of russia's invasion. touch on has goats, at least survived the iceland. you met with them here? russians are. brothers is no good. you know, i could never imagined anything like this. this aggression was victory and destruction. a visual, when i came home, i kissed the ground. now i have nothing void where am i supposed to live and what do i do? what was your neighbors in? the village weren't spared either, and also came back to find the piles of rubble where their homes one stood but perhaps nowhere are the ruins greater than mar you,

paul. after weeks of relentless bombardment, russian forces and their separatist allies are now in control of almost all of the strategic port city. before rebuilding can begin, cruise must 1st clear massive amounts of rubble. i used to have 3 rooms now only half of one. when i came up from the shelter, i opened the door and there was no apartment any more. that was scary. residents who have remained behind are now trying to get on with their lives. and in many cases, that means improvising the lone hold out of resistance remains the as of style steel plant, where fighters trapped under ground have been withstanding russian pounding the ukrainian government has proposed to swapping them in exchange for russian soldiers

captured during their invasion of ukraine let's go to our dw corresponded m m s. if in the vase in western you cried. welcome, amina, i'm, let's start with a, as a stall, a steel plant. what are you hearing from them? russia is determined as ever to annihilate that steel planted to take a victory there over the as of regiment which has been occupying the steel plant, holding up they're, they're basically the last defenders left in mar, you poll, which is a strategic city. they've said that ground troops are bombarding the plant with shells. they've also said that the worst problem is drones, which from russian drones, which they have no way to protect against. now there have been conflicting reports about whether or not they're civilians left in that steel plant. the ukrainian government said there weren't but then local authorities said there were, but it seems like what they're referring to is those wounded soldiers who are no longer fighting and they're considering them civilians. they want to get them out

of there. now the government of ukraine has proposed a prisoner swap with russia. the russia at this point says, that's an unusual request that they won't swap prisoners of war for combatants who are no longer fighting, but have not yet submitted to russian troops. it have not yet given up their so russia has so far denied that the prisoner swap could happen under those terms. okay, now that the ukranian president has recently praised eyes force his latest counter offensive. i'm just talk us through some of those claimed achievers. well, recently another village was liberated according to the ukrainian army from a russian forces. that's an addition to age that we're liberated so far since last week. basically what's happening is the ukranian troops are pushing russians away from her son, sorry, from harkey, which is the 2nd largest city in ukraine. and it's pushing so far away now that they're out of the city is out of range of russian artillery, which is

a godsend. for a people living in that city who will no longer have to face shelling from russian ground forces. now, a zalinski also said not to expect victory every single day. he's warned people to be patient and this kind of confirms and echoes what the u. s. intelligence is said, which is we're seeing a stalemate in the east now with russia, claiming a new territory, new villages, even surrounding the city of savannah. done yet, which is in the east and not yet claimed by russia. so it's really one victory for ukraine. one victory from russia and really a stalemate there. we've also heard reports though that ukraine has a bombed across the border in russia. the mate, the governor of a territory on the russian side, said one russian was killed in an air strike that hasn't been confirmed by ukraine . okay, thank you for that. i'm safe in the v i sent you up to date more while news at the top of the hour up next here on d, w at chelsea,

delaney has your business updates on the casa headlines around the clock and detail as well on the web site. the w dot com and on the d. w. i'm good with, [000:00:00;00] with a real natural spectacle in an improved world the meeting of the little known whale sharks. the remote island of saint told