website that's to be found a d w dot com. ah, beijing says it will send a special envoy to you craig. keith is sending a new ambassador to china. the results of a phone call, the 1st between the president of ukraine in china since the russian invasion began last year. how important was this phone call and why did beijing agree to talk? now? chinese president, she's in pain reporter leave, said nothing of russia and its invasion of ukraine. and shine is still has its no limits relationship with russia. so what was this call all about? why did ukrainian president zalinski even bother to pick up the phone? i'm broke off in berlin. this is the day ah, eating president, she jin pings called with president lensky,

chose china's objected and impartial position. and that sense of responsibility. i had alone and meaningful phone call with chinese president cheese in pink. i believe that this cold, as well as the appointment of ukraine's ambassador to china, we'll give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. young pitts hoped that all sides will reflect on the ukraine crisis and seek a new weight for everlasting peace in europe. together also coming up inside the trenches and on the front lines with ukraine's citizen soldiers lomas as and says to be restored. if you have to keep positive, keep your spirits up with what you, our viewers watching on p b s in the united states into all of you around the world. welcome. we begin the day with diplomacy between ukraine and china. the ties that bind or perhaps the ties that blind on wednesday, chinese president,

she's in ping spoke with ukrainian president zalinski on the phone. their 1st contact since the russian invasion began last year. 4 months. zalinski have said publicly that he would like direct talks with president she for months there was no response. so why now? china's stance as a neutral party in the russian war against ukraine. that stance has not changed. it's 12 point piece plan offered earlier this year. it went nowhere in china and russia remain more than just allies, thanks to their no limits relationship without mentioning russia, orridge invasion of ukraine season paying reportedly told zalinski that china will not add fuel to the fire or take advantage of the crisis to profit. it sounds like an attempted ambiguity by china. how does that help ukraine? we'll discuss that in just a moment. but 1st here is what shine has a foreign ministry said about the phone call and diplomacy with ukraine. still found that when it comes to the ukraine crisis in china has always stood on the

side of peace. and its core position is to promote peace talks go from china will send a special representative of the chinese governmental yeah. to visit ukraine and other countries to conduct talks with all parties for a political settlement of the crisis on to go to my 1st guess tonight is alexander schubert, ambassador at large at ukraine's ministry foreign affairs. he's also the former ukranian ambassador to austria. it better. it's good to have you back on the program. i want to start by asking for your read on this phone call between presidents zalinski and she oh my read is that what we should so very carefully look at the wording that's a present zaleski chose for you, sweet. he mind emphasis on a long conversation and he didn't mention a piece of talk. so he mentioned the strengthening of bullets we'll relations. so

my understanding is that probably of course of the piece plan, the chinese piece plan was discussed, but it was just the 1st step of many m. ready so just the beginning, ambassador, if you could put us inside the mind of president zalinski a, why would he think that a phone call with the chinese president at this moment in time? why would it be of any positive significance for you crate? ringback oh, the time was chosen which i now so hm. you sprained ankle 2 months ago or a year ago brennan's landscape definitely would have picked up the phone because china is big enough on board now. and we hope that they are the despite this so called no limit to corporation with russia, party friendship with russia,

a see and understand who is built for this. ready war and who is the victim? so of the time was shown by china. they should be at the season being, as we understand it did not mention russia by name or it's invasion of ukraine in this phone call with president zelinski. in fact, the read out that was given by beijing of this phone call shows that china remains rather ambiguous as ever when it comes to the war in ukraine. the it, do you think there's an ulterior motive here then in this phone call? hello. i think if some, are you craig's interests for urge i not to be on videos quite frankly because it will be to the stroke. well, it will be very damaging to your graham and i think it will be good the solving for

the world's and it would be a very, very big mistake child. for some reason, i would have decided to join the occupier, this. oh, this absolutely horrific or a war answer, not just a delicate buyer and the rest of the aggressor who is not listening is worse. so i think i think it would be just logical prudence of china to be a big use of order. the countries in the global self and that includes the bricks, countries, brazil, russia, india, and china, and south africa. and they have not criticized russia for its invasion of ukraine. with any mind, i want you to take a listen to what brazil's new president lula what he said today. it is useless to say who is right and who is wrong, perhaps. what needs to be done now?

there is for the war to stop. i get them wish that the war has reached a point where a group of friendly countries as needed, which can bring the parties together, group or dial. i'm you and establish rules in each the firstly they have to stop killing people. ambassador, so president lula, they are said a group of friendly countries have to come together. do you know what countries the president has in mind? i guess i don't know what sort of the presence of mind, but of course one thing the most important thing is for people to stop dying or should be thinking about russia withdrawing from grain. because if you think about, you know, buying these because you're paying them for them. he's talking about brush, stop, store, not dying anymore, but you, cranium, keep it, keep dying under your face,

on the rush and like a base. so it's a little bit critical. if this is what it means, any cost be any up, it would be, it would be just or a big decision just to be thousands and thousands of thousands of the premiums today. so profit dial in moscow. ready that's something the private reg d b, i'm a blue. do you think ukraine can view a country like brazil as a friend right now? well, we needed to stop. so talking with brazil because of the best. there was some from there, from where to, while just late from china. and so we need to at least try to persuade them that this is the most in do you know colonial war, oh, or time. and the brazil is against imperialism. it should be against those who conduct this kind of worse, namely against bullying. last friday in china's ambassador to france ignited

a fire storm when he claimed that the former soviet republics do not have legal claims to sovereignty. which of course would mean that the annexation of crimea was legal and at the invasion of eastern ukraine by russia. it's not really an invasion at all. do you think president, she's in pink of china? do you think he called president zalinski in an attempt to defuse that situation? frankly, by us today. this is jason with rather if you at least and you bring a media and bring an expert in circles, the premium, the prevailing opinion was that it was just, it's honestly just the ambassador was being tired. so or maybe not attached with this conversation because when you read the warning, him denying the solar and the, the right for 15,

both countries including russia, including 70. wow. it's just the phone for the killer, i think. and it was just flip off and they've asked me before we let you go, i want to ask you, do you see china at some point in the future, taking on the role of peace mediator. i mean, is it the only power that can bring both ukraine and russia to the negotiating table? well, it's not bringing in the 2 powers to the table. well, on what to discuss, what? because right now, both, both sides are ready. when negotiation just russia is ready to discuss the objective of social special military race and then we basically bring

and we are ready to discuss. it was the role of russian troops from our territory. rush up, the damages they owe us. so just to the question on what basis, because the brand new mark ready and warm just got feeding any more them to people . freedom. so the grain ambassador alexander share. but we appreciate your time and your insights tonight as always. thank you. thank you. well, on the ground and ukraine, hundreds of thousands of citizens have been called up, drafted to fight against russian forces. now, for most of these young men, it's their 1st experience being part of the military. he w, as nick connelly went to the front lines in the eastern dawn beth region to find out how ukraine's citizen soldiers are coping in the trenches. a spring turns wet, snow to mud,

keeping upright is even harder than it looks. this forest might seem empty, but it's actually full of soldiers all on the lookout. so to keep all loose it down, because near here the russians are just a matter of a few 100 me to a. yvonne and his friend are in a forward position without leaves on the trees, it feels exposed, but at least they can see russian units when they approach soon they'll be better hidden. but so we'll the other side. so let's go let the hook. the hardest thing is, when it's too quiet, it means the russians could be coming on foot. let the utensils be so at least when they're firing at us, it means i not sending any of them people our way, luckily with the whole summer because we're glimmered bit booster. you yvonne will be here for 2 days. 2 nights. that might not seem long, but it's intense and exhausting. 2 hours and watch than 2 hours sleep and watch again, powered by heat backs and energy drinks,

such if you are thought this is our forced out on the over there, that's the 3 star. it's still a work in progress. i said the 1st day we got here and michelle's hit 2030 meters away. it was incredibly loud and you could feel everything around you. shaky with like hundreds of thousands of ukrainian service people. yvonne had never held a rifle before the russians invaded last year. citizen soldiers like him are having to learn fast, lo misses and says to be restored. you have to keep positive to keep your spirits up a lot, otherwise you won't last long on there, but it's not like we can call our mothers to come and pick us up with a social number. the lease is up at all, but those are the things that for this is the main dug out, a cave blasted into the hillside. it's warm and dry and feel safe after the constant stress outside this time the space here to take a breath was less so you force,

we'll get children's drawings like the sent to us and why no one would ever throw them away. we keep them with destroying is from a ukrainian child who's a refugee in germany. was there was a letter thanking us for protecting the same lulu. hopefully, these children will be able to come home soon as you put your arms on the board with no heat, no require last year, but right at the beginning of which we found out my wife was pregnant. i became a father during this war. this was that i got leave to be there for my son's birthday, but i didn't make it in time. so i was still traveling from the training camp when he was born. the move for you on august the 3rd year we're recording the idea that

they're fighting russian now, so that children don't have to is something you hear a lot from ukrainian soldiers. no one he believes that russia is going to negotiate in good faith. this armored personnel carrier is normally used to bring out the wounded. it knocks its passengers around so much. the soldiers joke, many of the wounded because you injuries on their way to safety de la virginia watts. it shouldn't. we're here 247 wilcox waiting for call out or where basically an ambulance. there's just, you know, that we run the risk of being killed, doing our job to meet what not me, of chairman we honey, 2 casualties and more than a dozen wounded near us just yesterday, tumble up. what else got to deal? everyone's nerves are shattered. to come up for so stay any ocean sit in a strand i soldiers with extreme psychological trauma,

are evacuated out to ross tells us the most have to keep going with the pills or as much help as they can expect. in his civilian life to ras worked as an urologist in knows his way around a medicine cabinet party. jessica shaw, and i'm sorry, can you? but these are all antidepressants and anxiety medications. when you apply, you must, this is charles shem of i put all this together myself and provide them to anyone who needs them. the symptom which is given that we can only hope to manage the symptoms that he wash. now as the best treatment for anxiety, depression, and stress induced condition is to avoid the treatment that you have alive during wartime. that's just not possible. nissan theater of nero ship. see, i recommend these to everyone. i thought i loved my nap anyway. you might wanna let them all akeem, not boys him, so he seems heavy of them and it's not just the patients that are feeling the strain. so to those working here to ross tells us he to has started taking

antidepressants. kids. his will began over a year ago. he's only seen his family for a few days at a time. c o o in ulysses, shes that are sierra, everyone you've met here so far. yes. we're all civilians long at all. sure. my bill is, you know, we've all been cold up yet. i did want to put a sound of hat mouse, a physics, our professional soldiers who are in the floors issue. she'll still know that no one is in after that and out doing what good. so for them, ah, in brazil for were president valuables and arrow has answered questions from police over his alleged role in a tax on government buildings carried out by his supporters. last january, brazil's prosecutor says that also narrow incited the violence in an effort to reject the results of the presidential election. often aro, travel to day to police headquarters and brazil, jo. he did not an sir. questions from reporters of the attacks followed bull

scenarios defeat in last year's presidential election. also, nora was in the us state of florida at the time he has not publicly conceded losing the election to louise and oscio lula da silva, many a boston aro supporters believe the election was rid of a more. am janelle by correspondence, m cal we he joins me now from sal, palo in brazil. sh sab variables. and ours says that he had nothing to do with the violence there in brazil. yet, what about the court of public opinion? i mean, how credible is his story? in the eyes of the public. well, i mean, that's a very, very interesting question. why? because you know, brazil going through the kind of political polarization where it is at the moment, support the blue, the silver, the current president would say that she had everything to do with the violence that happened on january the 8th in the capital present,

which resulted in the congressional building, the supreme court being read bad vandalized right, much worse than january, the 6th in the united states. no cause on the other hand, what support the joy of olsen aro, who say that now you've got nothing to do there? this is all a plot, you know, he's supportive, he's most radical. the board is claim that this is a plot invented by lulu workers party. and that actually the people that invaded the buildings were members viewed as workers policy that were trying to created essentially create a false flag operation to justify the repair, even crackdown, you know, that, you know, for most not as much brighter who supports his belief. right? yeah, i mean, you know, the, the after taishan that he would, that he posted what we seem to be an encouraging instagram post to grand hosting coaching the violent. and he's expectation that he was on morphine at the time. and

that's why he posted the and, you know, withdrew it off with regardless pat daroolen, quite a few kind of snakes of disbelief here in brazil. what could have a potion all reward to be convicted? i mean, could this former brazilian president, could he actually go to prison? i mean, he's read the brazilian president's to go to prison to stay in prison. right? i mean, there have been a few cases in recent years and box. the overall assumption here is that this case isn't really going to go very far. so, basically because it's very difficult to really connect the dots, read directly to both. all right, that's all, that's all i see anyway. what's more likely is that one in one of the other cases of which there are at least 16 altogether. again, folks are regarding online this information during the pandemic. it's, it's, it's understood that there is quite

a high chance of him being stripped of his political rights, which would mean that you wouldn't be able to run for public office in brazil than it is. and he's understood already that essentially that he's part, you're already kind of way not who could like take his place when the next presidential elections are held in 2026. right. so yeah, this will be the most likely scenario that, you know, boston are, is referred to as the brazilian donald trump. i mean, this case certainly has parallel to the january 6 insurrection of the u. s. capital . is it being reported that way in brazil? yeah, i mean there's, yeah, yeah, there's lots of paranoia and also with other kind of you know, leaders with the authoritarian meetings across the world are, was always a, you know, very close a big fan of like victor albany and hungry and all that kind of like well, so it's harry illegal democracy as the leaders. so. so yeah, like it's,

it's definitely, it's definitely been reported in a similar, in a similar way that the general uprisings in the, in the united states were reported. and, you know, for the record things are much worse here in brazil than they were in the united states. why they genuinely was like an attempt to take power here or 2222. so that was a genuine coincidence. essentially one that didn't work out in the end, but yet it was, it was, it was certainly a very serious situation. let me ask you, sam, before we go to something completely different in this with the current president, president, lula, brazil under his leadership. is that good news for china and russia? not so good news for ukraine in the united states. i mean, it's an interesting question. it's, i mean like china is

a huge trading partner in brazil. biggest trading paul has been for a long time and you know, brazil has a storm of non alignment and always has had 3 votes in our presidency through the true blue, the presidency through pretty much brazil. history of foreign policy is not alignment why brazil had like a significant trade relationship with, with russia to because if i had lots of russian, bertha lies in that it needs for you to activate this account for a quarter of brazil gdp and trying to reach the principal buyer of that, you know, the, for those also training wardrobe, united safely, european union. and what we're seeing here, i think more in terms of, you know, obviously a few of the statements have offended the ukrainian. right. and so what we're really seeing here is a typical kind of non aligned policy from the blows out in which you basically play the major powers against each other. and i think that's what this is really about

here in the actions speak louder than words and reduce has condemned, you know, the ukrainian or russian invasion of ukraine at united nations. while you know that have been a few comments by president luda here. and there that had been that had cause defense, new grain, and understandably so. but again, this is a typically not a line policy from the global south, brazil as possible. journalists, sam kelly, sam, we appreciate your time in your reporting tonight. thank you. thanks so much. good, ah, and finally tonight it is late april, but in many parts of spain, it feels like late july, temperatures are expected this week to reach 39 degrees celsius. that's 86 degrees fahrenheit. this early heat wave comes in spain is already in the 3rd year of below average rainfall. water levels in many rivers are at record lows, so low that local authorities have even been rescuing the fish. they transported

fish from this river in ne spain to a nearby river that has a higher water level. spanish meteorologists are blaming this extreme early hot weather on climate change. while the day's almost done, the conversation continues online, you'll find it on twitter either w news. you can follow me on twitter at rent. gov tv, and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day. we'll see you then everybody think

ah, with dean is planting. only stillman is a farmer who wants to return to work his land. but because of the intense combat in his home town of car keys, the fields are now filled with mines. every step on the ground puts his life in danger, yet really ukrainian farmers are still taking the risk of focus on europe

next, on dw, exploiting labor and generating loads of plastic waste. vegetable growers in southern spain have long had a bad reputation. the german supply chain at the supposed to ensure fair wages and environmental protection, but will have an impact on the situation in spain made in germany in 60 minutes on d, w o. o times again. brain update. because this orchestra called the brain continuously adapts itself. and so we ask a few astute questions. we can control our thoughts,

which makes us very power. kind of like a superpower. a questions about life, the universe were series 40 to the answer to almost everything. this week on d w ah ah, ah, ah, this is focus on europe. i'm labriola glad you could join us. britain is gearing up for the coordination of king charles who became.