♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to thipbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". ♪ christian: hello, i'm christian fraser. this is "theontext." >> talk about the jets. i think everything. >> it's a good time to talk about in private the support the u.k. is giving and how we can make sure that support is not just here today but into the future. it is not a straightforward thing as we have been discussing to build up that combat aircraft

capability. it is not just a provision of planes. ♪ christian: good evening and welcome to the program. attack drones, air defense, a new u.k. flying school for pilots. can they provide president zelenskyy with the kit that he needs? we will get the view tonight from kyiv and london. rishi sunak is marshaling his troops, a downing street reception to officially elaborate the coronation of king charles the third, but is also a charm offensive with splits in toya ranks? who wil pick the spring cabbage and the rhubarb? farmers say they need more labor and higher prices to solve the food crisis in britain. and we will take a look at the election results from turkiye. no victory in round one but

early advantage to president erdogan. we start with president zelenskyy's visit to the u.k.. he says ukraine can defeat russia by the end of the year with the right kind of russian help. the latest tranche of support at the end of his stop and european tour includes battle tanks, vehicles, four new air defense systems, and the pledge today from rishi sunak to train more pilots. the biden administration has ruled out delivering f-16 fighter jets. ukrainian sources believe eventually eu countries will overcome that hesitancy. but military chiefs say therein lies the issue, western dithering over suppose and redlines which are later crossed is undermining and delaying a counteroffensive which could prove to be divisive. -- decisive. >> imagine if all of thas ready in place instead of

dribbling in at the last minute. ukraine would be in a much tter position to do what needs to be done. i think we in the west need to understand this is not just a war against ukraine, it is a war against the west, ukraine becoming a part of the west. we are involved in this war. christian: president zelenskyy was asked when he would order the counteroffensive to begin. president zelenskyy: we want to create this jet coalition and i am very positive with it. we spoke about it. i see that in the closest time that you will hear some. i think important decisions but we have to work a little bit more on it. christian: to discu tonight i am join from ukraine by the ukrainian member of parliament, former education minister. as well as a ukrainian military expert joining us from toronto.

clearly, there is always a balance between the political pressure to push on with the offensive, the military need to ensure you are properly prepared. do you think ukraine has what it needs today to begin the counteroffensive? >> as we joke here in ukraine, the first rule of the counteroffensive is we don't talk about the counteroffeive. we have to be cautious in putting any political pressure. such a sensitive military decision needs to be taken by those that have all the information available, who understand all the strategies, who know exactly what we have and how much resources we have for the counteroffensive. that is why there is no big politil pressure inside the country for the countoffensive because we understand it can happen when it needs to happen with the best possible results. that is why we trust the decisions of our military command. they will make the right

decision at the right time. do we want this to happen sooner? of course. we also don't want to lose lives for nothing in a counteroffensive that is not prepared. that is why this level of preparedness is crucial, and the majority of ukrainians understand that. there are wishes on our side, we want it done sooner, but nobody is pushing for that to happen for political reasons because we understand this is a very military based decision. christian: i understand that but if you being a counter offense, need reassurance from european capitals, everything that you need to support that counteroffensive is coming in from behind. does that explain why he is touring european capitals this week, seeking those assurances? >> exactly what president zelenskyy is doing right now, traveling the major capitals. the week before that to the northern capitals as well. he is trying to gain the support that we need.

we have to realize that no matter how successful the current counteroffensive will be, we will need further counteroffensives, and we need to be prepared for that. all the other capitals in the west need to understand, this will take a while, and there needs to be processes set in place not just to give munitions which are already available in those countries, but also to prepare new ammunitions, build their industrial capacity for this type of warfare on the european continent. that is what needs to be understood. that is the message president zelenskyy is delivering. christian: clearly, the counteroffensive is imminent. downing street said today that the new material they pledged will be delivered over the coming months. there seems to be a mismatch between the need to get on with it and the time the west is taking to supply frontline. >> some of the promised kyrgios,

munitions,t is already delivered. we can see it already in use. the other thing is the delivery of challenger 2, the main battle tanks, ammunition for them. u.k. is steadily supplying stuff. it is not just one package that will come to ukraine. it will be many different packages coming in sequences. just to launch any large-scale offensive, it should be in norman's supplies. -- enormous supplies. we are not talking about world war ii style offense. it will be done in secrecy. ukrainians need to attack on different parts of the front,

they need to establish some supeority. for that, a lot of material is needed. christian: when you look at the abrams tanks, which are now arriving in germany, welcome news for the ukrainians. you look at the lead time involved, that announcement was made in january. it is five months. if the counteroffensive begins and you have a pledge of more tanks and vehicles coming, tre cannot be a lead time of five months? >> for this stufff delivery, i would say the ukrainians need challenger and a leopard tanks. abrams can stay there for a while. they can be delivered as is. there are some secret components in those tanks, so they have to beuilt. challenger and a leopard the crews are training their.

the sheer number of those tanks is not something that can make a big influence. supplier, ammunition, oil, have the technical basis for those text to be repaired. this is not world war ii. russia has tremends anti-armor weapons. those tanks can contribute to the ukrainian offensive. something much bigger needs to be built behind the front lines. this is logistics. christian: and that is what they say, wars are won on logistics. thank you. germany announced it is providing an aid package worth nearly $3 billion. german military event said that

would include armored personnel carriers, 30 leopard tanks, reconnaissance drones, and ammunition. joining us now is the german ambassador to the united kingdom. good to have you with us. you will know the debate in the u.k. today is about f-16s. where do you see that debate? the netherlands are looking at it. where is berlin's position on this? >> we are in a similar position as the united kingdom in the sense that all of our countries do not have f-16s. i know the ukrainian government is in talks with some other countries but we should not forget how challenging it is to maintain the logistics network for f-16, plus the training, so this is something to look for in theuture but now the focus should be on the upcoming offensive and the support that

we are giving to ukraine, make it as sustainable as possible. christian: biggest military support package so far. big turnaround. what prompted that? amb. berger: i would not say it is a turnaround but something that we have been doing more or less from the beginning of the war. also the decisions we have taken at the european level, for example, joint artillery munition protections, there were many decisions taken. maybe the most important one was the leopold tank in january. as previous speakers have said, the biggest thing is about the leopold, which many european armies have used. you have one supply chain, one logistics, the same ammunition that can be used. many advantages for the

ukrainian army with the leopold tanks. christian: why do you think there is a sudden urgency to ramp up the lethal aid this week? we have discussed the counteroffensive is imminent but do you think it has something to do with the noise that we have heard from donald trump and the commitment he is not willing to make to ukraine if he is elected? amb. berger: there are some noises especially among republicans in the u.s. which are worryin also the possible candidate, desantis says that ukraine is not in the national security interest of the u.s. the trip that president zelenskyy made to four european capitals, in our view, it is mainly to reassure, get the reassurances that europe will continue to support ukraine as long as it takes.

that is what we have made clear also in our statement. christian: could the european capital sustain kyiv without u.s. help? amb. berger: no, we need the u.s. help. it sends a message also to some who are doubting, among the republicans, but for the ukrainian public opinion, the ukrainians before this counteroffensive, it is very important to know that the western countries stay united behind them and sends a clear messagehat however this offensive ends, we will continue to support them. christian: let me ask you about comments that chancellor schulz made, speaking at a global vision summit. he said to leaders from countries like india, south africa, vietnam have abstained from calling on russia to end its invasion because they are struggling with the unequal application of the west principles. what does he mean by that? amb. berger: what he meant is

what we have seen regrettably in the united nations general assembly, other places, that there are many places who are sitting on the fence, have a kind of equidistant's between ukraine and russia. what he wanted to say was it is similar hat the foreign secretary cleverly said about the so-called middle round initiative. it means we have to engage with these countries, we have to talk to them, we have to convince them that it is our common endeavor to uphold the u.n. charter, territorial integrity of countries, the sovereignty of countries, and it should be in their genuine interest to do that together with us. that means we have to engage them. this issue of double standards, however you want to call it, is

something that we have heard from african leaders who say you are very engaged on ukraine, but what aut the war in congo, conflicts in africa? where are you? will you also help us to solve these kinds of conflicts and challenges? i think that is what chancellor schultz met with the speech today. christian: ambassador berger, always great to have you on the show. thank you. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. a look at some of the other stories making headlines today. the british pensioner accused of murdering his wife has told a court that she begged him to help in his life. lawyers for her 75-year-old husband say her death was assisted suicide. exams are getting fully underway for most people in england, wales, northern ireland. the exam regulator says the disruption caused by covid be

taken into account in the grades awarded. regulators say covid casts a long shadow and students should be able to get the same grade they would have had the pandemic not happened. and what is thought to be a world's first, driverless buses have entered service in edinburgh. despite being driverless, they will still have two members of staff on board to monitor the technology and assist passengers. you are live with bbc news. rishi sunak launched his own counteroffensive tonight, holding a garden party at number 10, it officially to celebrate the ki's coronation. it comes at a precarious time. conservatives are looking their wounds after a poor showing in rent elections, and future leadership candidates, some on

the right are asking whether the prime minister is fully committed to brexit. and that bonfire of eu laws which right now is barely smoldering. and then there is the thorny issue of labor. where should net migration be set for the benefit of the british economy? today, the home secretary suella braverman said it was time the u.k. focus on homegrown talent rather than constantly opening the door to low skilled labor from abroad. >> i voted and campaigned for brexit. indeed, i'm a proud spartan. i wanted britain to control migration, so that we all have a say on what works for our country. high skilled workers support economic growth. and whether labor market has acute or structural shortages as witch of the nhs, it is of course white that we should have an integration system agile enough to plug those shortages. but we need to get over

immigration numbers down. chriian: joining me to discuss is our westminster political correspondent unit watson. how is downing street reacting to this renewed sense of unrest in the party? >> a lot ofladhanding going on even as we speak in the back gardens. the prime minister talking to many of his mp's. huge losses in local government elections recently with more than 1000 conservative counselors losing their seats. some of hearing this may predict the outcome of the next general election which will probably be held next year. there are some problems there, but it was not directly going to war with his own home secretary, who had been making her speech earlier on in the day to this not official conservative conference, just the national conservative conference. people in the party that tend to

be supporters of brexit. the mood music is quite interesting. her whole emphasis there is partly staying within the bounds of government policy, we have to plug short-term gaps in immigration, but she also wants to get immigration down in that speech, says she wants to return to the pledges that were dropped by the conservative party in the last general election. she is basically saying, actually, -- christian: where is the prime minister on this? there is a debate about visas and how many to issue. are they pro skills or low skills? iain: effectively suggesting that the lower skill jobs should be done by people who are already her rather than taking people in from outside. the situation at the moment, there is a minimum level of earnings you are supposed to have if you come to the united kingdom, to join a profession that is perhaps seeing a labor

shortage. at least 26,000 pounds. there is a debate in the conservative party that that should be higher. no doubt the prime minister would wish to draw a distinction between illegal immigration, stopping the boats in the english channel, and legal migration, to say that we are back in control of the process. next week, we will get figures suggesting there will be a record number of migrants coming to the u.k. those coming here exceeding those leaving by perhaps 700,000. that would be an all-time high. when he and suella braverman campaign for brexit, it was all about taking control. they believe many voters believe that means they can control of immigration. these high numbers may have put them off. he does have a political problem and is treading gently with suella braverman rather than going to war with her. christian: also speaking at the

conference today, jacob rees-mogg, the former leader. >> part that tried to gerrymander and up finding out that the scheme bites them, as we found, with voter id on elections. people didn't have id were elderly, and they were also voting largely for conservatives. we made it hard for our voters and upset a system that worked perfectly well. the real problem was with postal voting. don't get too fretful by the schemes they brought up because gerrymandering does not really work. christian: an extraordinary statement who was in the cabinet. acknowledging that it was in fact an attempt to gerrymander the election. iain: absolutely astonishing, using the word gerrymandering,

and using it on his own side. he was in government when this legislation was going through. this required people to produce photo id for the first time in english local council elections. downing street playing it relatively cool, saying this is not gerrymandering which other countries have done. northern ireland, voter id was required. they don't want to stoke the divisions but it is an interesting insight into the mood of the conservative party. someone who used to be in cabinet is actually using that kind of terminology, basically vote rigging, against people on his own side. the argument, his fear, older people who are more likely to vote conservative, could not produce the photo id. the argument on the other side was that this was an attempt to suppress the vote among young people to effectively disenfranchise them because of the photo id required, something

that they may not have. christian: thank you for that. let's pick up on the issue of visas. rishi sunak will be joined by officials tomorrow, farming industry leaders concerned about food security. it would seem there is aattle brewing between him and the home secretary. some farmers have gone out of business because there are not enough people to pick what is growing. the farming lobby wants number 10 to increase the number of visas. let's speak to our next guest. given the context of your in, living out cost crisis, long-term debate about food security, why is the issue of seasonal visas so crucial to you? >> it is very crucial. it is very interesting that our home secretary said that skilled labor is the most important thing for the economy. fruit picking is incredibly

skilled jobs. i think somewhere there is a gap between what iactually skilled labor and what isn't. as an industry, we will suffer tremendously if we do not get the product harvested. that is our biggest concern as an industry. christian: how that hasn't got for you? >> individually, i'm only running four sma farms. r me it is not too horrendous. however, my business is very affiliated to a lot of large producers. it is vital for them that they have this right labor at the right time for the period they need it in order to allow us to get that great product into the market. christian: within this meeting, they will lobby for higher food prices which will alarm a lot of people listening. food inflation have been running for some goods at 40%. how can we sustain a further raise? >> it is more about the rise

back to the farmer and the grower. i absolutely except there should begin increase in the value of produce. however, it is the gap between the price the consumer pays and the price the farmer, grower receives. christian: it's more about supermarkets recycling some of that profit. >> it's about where that profit is placed. we understand everyone has to make a profit but there needs to be a big magnifying glass on the gap. christian: briefly, suella braverman talks about training her own people to be fruit pickers. have you tried employing british people? >> we have tried and tried and i'm afraid it is virtually impossible. anyone in the u.k. is looking for a full-time job, not part-time, or unfortunately they cannot or don't want to work. that is the biggest problem. harvesting fruit and vegetables, a lot of automation is coming in, but it is a long way off before we cannot rely on hands,

the dexterity. it is a skilled operation and we need support to make sure that we continue to harvest. christian: we will watch the meeting tomorrow closely. thank you very mucr joining us. stay with us. we will talk about the election in turkey and the runoff in two weeks t narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.