taca ah, it's been a busy week for countries backing ukraine in its war against russian aggression. they've announced billions of yours and dollars worth of air defense systems, helicopters, and missile systems for you. k broke ranks with its nato partners and promised to send a challenge, a heavy tanks, while germany is still under heavy pressure to send its leopard to tax. today they all came together at the u. s. air base at ramstein in germany to try and find a way forward, but still no sign of those tax. i'm fill gail in berlin and this is the day ah, we see that the russians building or planning for new offensive against that ukraine. this is not a moment to slow down. it's time to dig deeper as much as it takes for as long as

it takes really hesitating, we are just very carefully in balance and all that proven contra, you heard the, the german minister of defense say that they've made a decision on what remains era we will make our decision very soon as possible. also on the day, how will russia respond to this surgeon western weapons? will it prompt a rethink of the kremlin plans? a present boon could end this war to day? it's, he started it, it's his war of choice. and he could end it today because it's turning into an absolute catastrophe for russia. ah, i welcome to the day a ukraine went into the week with high hopes of finally taking delivery of the elusive leopard twos. those advanced german made battle tanks. that would hopefully,

tip the scales against russian forces, pressure on germany to announce its approval has been building. and it wasn't as if there was no opportunity. chancellor shoves doc the duct the issue during his speech out the world economic forum. and there was no word after bilateral talks in berlin between us and german defense ministers. and to day, all eyes were on the meeting of the ukraine contact group, the usa base in ramstein. but he had 2 cubes, hopes were dashed talks, and it with no decision to him. this defense minister saying his country needed more time to think the question of whether germany will send tanks to ukraine, took center stage at ramstein abbeys. but instead of giving the green light, germany's new defense minister just said that it is up to the chancellor to make that call. but if i need to even and chime in the event of a negative decision, nothing needs to be done again. but in the event of a positive decision, we have to move quickly because it is then a matter of training,

checking the leopard tanks and the like, my them all, that's what this morning i ordered my ministry to examine the stock of the different types of leopard tanks both in our own forces and in the industry. when i go to slide kirsten i it's all go by the end of p. a stance that has led to criticism including from other partners who want to supply the same kind of battle thanks to ukraine. poland and finland, for example, are willing to send them to ukraine fast, but also need the green light from berlin. despite the dilemma of are tangs exports . u. s. defense secretary lloyd austin had warm was for germany. a country that he called the reliable ally going forward can do more. no germany has contributed a lot to this or to this campaign. ah, you know, from the very beginning when we saw them, i cycle in air defense capability. are the gift cards? ah, the patriots most recently are as t ah, they stepped up and offered to provide martyrs, they will provide the those mortars and conduct the training on those platforms.

but for many, including these protestors who gathered outside their chancellor relate friday. berlin is dragging its feet when it comes to sending tanks. well d, w was that the ramstein air base for that meeting here is our chief political correspondent. neither hasa the press

detested like it is because of russia's aggression. as nina hossa at ramstein, let's get into this were that brussels correspondent, terry schultz, who covers nato developments. welcome, terry. given the pressure at germany has been under for weeks, if not months, we surprised to hear no announcement about these tanks today. i don't think the german government had ever made clear that it would make an announcement at this round stein meeting. i think, as you mentioned, it was just thought that the pressure would become so intense that it would have to say something more than pastorius said, i'm sure that this didn't bring any solace to ukraine. the, the idea that now germany would be taking stock of what it, what it, it has in a, in its, in its store houses as far as lepers go. but at least it is movement ahead. will tell you, i want to ask you about the reasons for germany is that

a parent reluctance to send these that tanks or to give it permission for their use 1st. so i think it'd be useful to hear from vladimir as the lansky and the german defense minister artist pastorius bo speaking at today's meeting. time remains irrational level. we have to speed up time must become our common weapon and we have to balance all the pros and cons would be 40, receive you side, things like that. just like there is nothing else. and i'm very sure that there will be a decision in the short term that we have ukraine saying we need these now you have to speed up on germany saying, well, we have to measure considered a decision on this. terry schultz, have you heard any clear articulation from germany, from the chancellor about the arguments against allowing these tongues to go to crime? well, germany certainly has been under a lot of scrutiny and, and even ridicule for the list of excuses that it's given about why it doesn't want

to send the leopards or now that it's not ready to do it quite yet. the chancellor said that he didn't want to be alone in sending tanks, that he didn't want to be the 1st to send tanks to ukraine. now, as you mentioned earlier, the u. k has stepped up and become the 1st western allied to do that. so that excuses out the window then the chancellor said, of course that he didn't want to be seen as taking a direct role in the conflict. but they've gone ahead and sent other very heavy weaponry. so that doesn't really hold water either. i don't think that the idea that defense minister story is put forward today is going to be any more well received that they're going to take stock. they've had plenty of time to do that. so i think that he was just put on the spot and had to come up with some kind of answer. the fact that they've been considering the pros and cons for a long time already means that today's excuse i think isn't going to go over well either. meanwhile, poland is reported to be saying that very may well go ahead and send their leopard

to tongues to ukraine without a german consent is not likely to happened. you thank i'm not sure it is likely to happen. it was certainly meant to put even more pressure on germany, but poland is not the only one. finland has said that it would be ready to send its leopards and just to de the czech republic and slovakia, which together have ordered. 30 leopards say that they'd be willing to send that entire shipment over to ukraine, but they need german consent for this. and this is the 2nd part of, of the pressure that germany is under. germany is not only deciding whether to send its own leopards, but none of these countries who bought them from germany can send theirs without german cas consent. so i think that is puzzling to a lot of people. why, if germany doesn't want to be seen as, as taking more of a power to support, put participatory role in the conflict. why it doesn't let other countries step up and do that. many countries as many as a dozen allies have leopard tanks and it, it really doesn't, doesn't sit well with them that they're not allowed to do what they want with their

leopard two's. well, this week i did bring some good news for ukraine. it is getting another $2500000000.00 worth of military assistance from the u. s. heavy artillery from finland and sweden. how it says from france and denmark, and patriots on the way, as nato turned a corner. you think, terry? i don't think that they're the announcement of new contributions that we saw today . we're, we're anything surprising. we have seen allies gradually and continually step up the quality of weapons, the quantity of weapons that they're sending to ukraine. remember at the beginning of the conflict, the soviet era weapons were the 1st things that went to the things that other countries basically would have wanted to get rid of any way and, and gradually as the ukrainians burned through these weapons and, and through that ammunition, they got higher grade weapons and as quickly as they could be trained on them, the allies were, were willing to send them them more advanced weaponry that they really need to

stand up to the, to the russians. and now this discussion of tanks is another one of those examples that you know, they don't seem ready to do it in math yet, but this was true of the patriots as well. they were never going to send patriots until they were ready to send patriots. so i'm sure that the ukrainians are just hoping that it's just a matter of days before more countries will send tanks as well. we'll admit the promises of new weaponry. i. nato chief against ulta burger issued to some words of warning. today we'll hear from him and then come back to terry. on, in addition to the new platforms, we need also to remember that we need to not only oil focused on a new platforms, but also to ensure that all the proper forbes was ordered there. ah, come functions asked, i should mean that we need a munition. we need a spare parts. we need a maintenance and we, the training attorney shall says, can get lost in all the discussions about tongue us concept. this idea that the ukraine gets all these weapons while it might face

a shortage of ammunition. not just ammunition, but as secretary general stores and bring mentioned spare parts. this is, in fact, one of the excuses. the u. s. uses for not sending the m one abrams tanks, they say that they're so expensive and it would be hard to get spare parts, hard to repair them, harder than the leopard twos. but you know, every time i read these announcements of new contributions, i make sure to check or they also sending ammunition with them. this has been a really sore spot for the ukrainians. they have literally run out of bullets in some, some places along the front line and you'll see reports from the trenches with the soldier saying, i don't have anything left to shoot. so this is really a big concern in there. it's been a problem for europe to produce ammunition quickly enough to re supply the ukrainians, much less fill their own stock, piles back up. so this is something nato has been trying to coordinate ramping up production lines on ammunition on spare parts. so that while they're sending these advanced weapon systems to ukraine, they're also going to be able to fix them when they inevitably get broken,

you know, run out of run out of spare parts. this is really important as important as sending the weapons themselves. i'm sorry, terry data because monetary shells in brussels. ah, russia's response to these latest weapons pledges has been to repeat its warnings about the risks of escalation. a countenance as the conflict is developing into an upward spiral in the west is under what he called a dramatic delusion. if it thinks it ukraine can win on the battlefield is present . putin's spokesman to me to pass called a . let's explore this with nikolai pat trunk. he's

a senior research fellow and the russian and eraser program. the chatham house, think tank in london. welcome to the w. let's start with these latest weapons from is to ukraine, may be a leper tank. certainly, patriots, and a long list of other advanced equipment. how do you think these promises are affecting the calculus of this war in moscow? i think all these plans are taking very seriously by the cram them and i would wait for russian that fancy to stop there wanted. so the key, we got a new weaponry, but in general, russia looks, i think, get this war s as the water from a dream and it fails the ground and thinks they abs grouchy is much they have to

prepare for this war 3. first of all, there is the difference between the reserves that production. so why green bought a lot of weapons, but well, recess, i mean, so in the end and a spring using a although all a numbers recently. and for example, all that russia bridge uses more rockets of them, the rest of the can together. ok, so it, if it comes to it, it's at the moment it can wait this out. and what is the apparent discord between germany and seemingly that the rest of the ukraine contact group that must be music to moscow z as of the moment. right, but as the will germany, like any other european country,

is not the see that much as an independent actor. and this was lim, see any of the recent fortune st. marks and made us this year again, love roles. speech where he told that the united states comes rolls entirely, europe, and that's why what is decided in washington. your show should realize, so rational look at europe as thoughtless of what he needed to the united states. of course, a deep count on a disagreement, and they've been disappointed by the fact that decisions are the concrete fos, all countries, including those. we can see that the more friendly well positions of your russia are lea, a quote with everybody else. right?

so let, let's, let's pick up on the point you made about russia. i re, i mean, you say, so you said that that russia is real me quickly and at scale and at volume. how is it, how are its other preparations going? this idea of mobilizing more troops and i think he said bits at all so that it is likely that they will bring that plans forward because of these, these pledges us all when speaking. well, johnny, we should understand that russia cannot reproduce those. what's the hasty kit weaponry? it loses the battle, and that's why we do see old fashioned drug. it's like those spread use even at the time of the soviet union use instead of more sophisticated ones and on to sanctions . it's very complicated for military industrial complex to produce what's that use to get weapons when it goes out?

soldiers, it's easier, roughly is a big country. and so their route blanson's to increase the number of soldiers in the russian. i mean, from one we live in 15 to one that the hear me live near 350 more soldiers. but once again, the problem is connected with russian is capable to provide a super wide weaponry. and the answer is no. or at least not that. so why it's my cheese it to what the lice big number of soldiers and to fly by wanted to rather than by a quality monster that was made to my petrov, he's a senior research fellow in the russia and eurasia program at the chatham house. thinktank in london. ah,

the situation on the ground in ukraine for months, ukrainian forces have been locked in bloody battles against russian troops in the east. and don bass fighting has intensified around the town of back. moved west soldiers and civilians holding arms in harsh winter conditions as by the dangerous some volunteers continued to take aid to people in the area. he w. as a sonia found, mikka met some of them in keith all, most of them because that jody know who the ankle is getting ready to go to the dangers on. she's about to leave for background in the east and on bus. we hadn't, she hasn't been, i you, some of it is for hospitals. the doctors often have to cut their uniforms open and the soldiers nick, close dead. and this is for broken bones or joy that ever that i'd seen them. but then she's got magazine pouches and power banks, medical supplies, and candles for power shortages. jolina was an actress before the war. now she

raises money for supplies and takes them to the front lights. it's risky book, yelena posts about her trips on social media. that's how she raises donations. she had a scare on her last trip to become with her group, got dangerously close to russia to positions. and taking aid to those in need isn't always as simple as it sounds available. what t i was in baffled in november was that there aren't many people left issue. some people are pro russian, others are pro ukrainian, or there are few kids and lots of elderly people did well. some of the men shouted at us. they were angry, were there even though we were providing food supplies it was hard. they were very hostile. i mean, but of, as the years ago, even the glasgow war. but she's going back even though it's frightening usa with the national look to look at times. i am scared, we're not superheroes, pet friendly, going to the front lines. seeing all of the shelling,

it's really inspired me. but i'm, it sounds strange because we see all of this devastation, but it has motivated us to continue working through the dog. so could put him. and there's hope is, well, she picked these in bucklin for 3 and they were blossoming there and the bar, it's a symbol of ukrainian land. said christopher, they should them green despite the war, flowers are flourishing. they're not legal. but i've said across stone, alexandra cup shinkel mix french candles with paraffin wax b can provide heat as well as light and can be hugely had through the soldiers in freezing winter conditions, the big ones can burn for up to 7 hours and can even help cook foot alexandra reckons she's made of a $1000.00 so far. one, it doubt that there's a book that shows a cloud. i wanted angel benson and the front lines use everything month to let them

know that them and happy them for some weidler question. what is that all it got from daniel little because you can't not do anything with charlie. bit trim for should be will at that you have to support them, shows like that. the bush can provide them with some more maxima, august to then that separate treatment. alexandra krench, candles will go with your inner again, your inner leaves, the relative safety of keith and heads for the was most dangerous hotspot. ah, south africa's president, sir, or run a poser is holding emergency meetings arrest the countries that deepening energy crisis. authorities have been imposing rolling blackouts as the countries in battled power utility struggles to meet demand. the pockets are hitting the economy hard. t w's christine mondor, reports from johannesburg. the this

generator is keeping tandem with business running. but the backup power solution is not a cheap one and it's costing a whole lot more to continue serving the local service abram insulator will be fortunate that we have invested in the generator pods. the costs of running swift look remedy have grown because we need to purchase petrol on a regular basis. the past few weeks has seen some of the worst power cuts on record in father africa with the pow utility s. com. rolling out nationwide. blackouts, locally referred to as low cheating for up to as much as 10 hours a day. even hospitals have not been spared. it does affect a lot of our equipment that we do have on site. for example, like i have mentioned,

we have elevators that are obviously put onto the generators which keep going on and off, which is most of the patients in very dangerous situations by being inside, they're not being able to be able to get out in a country that already has high levels of crime, the power outages of further compromising safety and security. in some areas, people are scared to even use roads at nights. so peach blacks the sexual right behind me being one of the hot sports people are getting robbed, getting mug cause or being stolen at gunpoint. so those are the issues that we face during low trading, especially when it's peach black at night. south africa's coal power stations supply most of the country's electricity. but these power stations are not functioning at full capacity. sub africa uses on average, about 27000 megawatts. the moment re struggling to produce 21.

and in an electricity system, you've got a match supply and demand instantaneously. exactly. the reason we have load shedding, all load reduction in south africa is that is to prevent the grid from collapsing while the power outages are a necessary evil. public outreach is growing. what really riles people up here is that much of the countries electricity problems have been attributed to endemic corruption at the state earned power utility and a slowness by the authorities to invest in new sources of energy, especially as the countries coal power plants are very old they breakdown easily and often have to go for maintenance. that puts them out of commission. as the electricity crisis further deteriorated, the managers of the pal utilise, he held emergency meetings with the countries president and other stakeholders that

south africans have been warned. there is no quick fix and that the outages will continue for at least a another year. ah. and finally, do be careful what you post online, british prime minister richie sooner recently, you filmed a video in the back of his car while he was traveling in the north of england. but after sharing it on instagram, it quickly drew comments about the fact that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. it also caught the attention of local police who now find the prime minister in mister sooner cas apologized describing the incident as a brief error of judgment. that was the day if you miss the show, you can always find the current episode at d. w a dot com forward slash good. have a great weekend with

ah, farmers in the pudding job region have 2 opposite problems. groundwater levels that are far too low or groundwater that's far too high. increasing salt levels in the soil. good trim, forming, be the solution. what we are doing, i already exist,

been solarian, or we have a lot of them is a part of the livelihood of these pod india. next on d w, making the headlines and what's behind band dw news africa. they show that the issues have been the continent. life is slowly getting back to normally on the streets to give you in the report on the inside of our cars fund that was on the ground reporting from across the continent. all the trends doesn't matter to you. in 60 minutes, d, w, o. india, a lend of contrasts, of ambitions of inequality. 75 years ago,

mahatma gandhi peacefully led the country to independence. what has remained of his vision? where does the world so call to largest democracy stand and where is india headed with? this is the moment to unleash on violet bars. gandhi's legacy starts january 28th on d, w. ah, with almost every way we look. nature is under tricks from pollution. habitat last what exploitation and climate change.