>> this is al jaera. israeli security forces say two rockets have been fired from gaza. they were intercepted by the iron dome air defense system. sirens have gone often southern israel to indicate incoming rockets. >> they were fired towards the israeli city of ashkelon. ashkelon now, they have opened up bomb shelters and are preparing for more rockets to be fired. although we are not getting indication that there will be more rockets fired from this

territory. you have to remember, retaliation and escalation are the keywords. we have seen retaliation for the events in jenin. escalation is the concern, what will the israelis to next? >> the rocket attacks come after israeli forces killed 10 palestinians in the occupied west bank thursday. none of them -- one of them in the rate in the jenin refugee camp. at least 11 people have been killed in russian missile and grown attacks across ukraine. infrastructure was targeted, but residential areas also hit. kyiv says 50 missiles were shot down. the haitian prime minister has been forced to barricade himself inside an airport after protesters wearing police uniforms stormed to the building for they are angry about the killing of police officers by armed gaining spirit they blocked roads in the capital.

boeing has pleaded not guilty in a u.s. court to charges of fraud related to two crashes of its 737 max jets. the firm is accused of hiding design flaws in the aircraft which caused the crashes in 2018 and 2019. more news after inside story. >> the american people have spoken. but, what did they say? is the world looking for a new order with less america in it? is the woke agenda on the decline? how much do social media companies know about you? how easy is it to manipulate? >> a critical look at u.s. politics. >> how will u.s. and german tanks help ukraine in its war against russia? berlin and washington are sending leopard and abrams dels to ky. pressure calls to move a provocation. will this weaponry change the course of the conflict? this is inside story.

♪ >> hello and welcome. both germany and the u.s. have agreed to send tanks to ukraine. berlin will supply leopard desk as, and washington, the abrams. germany finally gave into political pressure. they have also allowed poland and finland to send leopard twos. they are considered essential for ukraine, if it is to take back territory captured by russia. hello tamir zelenskyy wants 300 tanks and has been asking nato member states for the weapons. it looks like you will get 88 from germany and 31 from the u.s.. will this turn the war in ukraine's favor?

our code is being called a game changer for ukraine. berlin agreeing to supply leopard 2 tanks. speaking from a training facility, defense minister boris custer is this on when they will arrive. >> can you get the tanks to ukraine? >> at the end of the first quarter. that is what we are going to do. >> hominy months? >> i just said, the end of march. >> is that in time? ukrainians expect a russian offensive to be imminent. >> all i know is that is the time. >> this week, germany approved the delivery of hundreds of leopard tanks in eu arsenals to kyiv. in the first stage of the latest nato push to send more heavy weapons. what commanders say they need, along with more ammunition, before the winter thaw. and an expected russian spring offensive. >> getting those vehicles will improve their ability to take ground.

i would be cautious about assuming that with them, they will conquer the world. >> the u.s. is sending dozens of abrams tanks. the u.k., 14 challenger two. they will add to hundreds of russian -- already in service. moscow sees to develop and test western countries becoming directly involved in the war, and one that will lead to what it describes as permanent escalation. the success of tanks on land in european conflict has relied on air support here that is bakley what ukraine says it needs next, long-range missiles, more artillery and modern military aircraft, if it is to take back the skies over ukraine. >> wednesday, president biden announced the u.s. will send 31 abrams tanks to support kyiv. pres. biden: the abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world. they're also extremely complex operate and maintain. we are also giving ukraine the

parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain these tanks on the battlefield. we will begin to train ukrainian troops on logistics and maintenance as soon as possible. delivering these tanks is going to take time. time that we will use to make sure the ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the abrams tanks into their defenses. >> a spokesperson for vladimir putin says plans for the u.s. and germany to send tanks are a direct involvement in the war. dmitry peskov said both european capitals and washington keep saying the delivery of various kinds of weapons systems, including tanks to ukraine, absolutely does not mean the involvement of these countries. for the nato alliance and hostilities ongoing. -- moscow views everything the alliance in the capitals i have mentioned are doing indirect involvement in the conflict appeared we can see is growing.

for more on all of this, i am joined by our guests. in moscow, popple -- in brussels, teresa fallon. in berlin, left bring -- a political consultancy firm. it warm welcome to you well and thanks for joining us. teresa, let me start with you how significant is this decision by the u.s. and germany to send tanks to ukraine? does this constitute a turning point in the conflict? >> there has been a great deal of diplomatic wrangling going on. even within germany, there was a lot of division. we saw -- making statements that were different from chancellor schulz. it is a positive signal that i have -- that they have finally agreed to do this. it would have been better if they agreed to do this months ago because timing is everything and it will take a long time to get this to ukraine. including the u.s. abrams tanks,

it will take a few months. the spring it -- spring offensive is coming. after the end of the day, we have to remember germany has a lot of obstacles. and that they are making movement. that is a really positive sign. let's remember the low starting point. they initially just wanted to send 5000 helmets. now we have got them agreeing to send leopard tanks, which means other countries can send leopard tanks. this is a huge sign. i knew that ukraine's president zelenskyy has said he needs at least 300. so, this is just starting. i thicket is a positive sign and i hope that other countries will continue to support ukraine. >> what is the view in moscow about all of this? how concerned is russia about the pledging of these tanks and the delivery? are we going to see russia take countermeasures?

>> there's kind of two messages. one is more for the internal russian public and military specialists. connected to the authorities. they are saying these tanks will be destroyed by the, that this will not change the overall balance of power. they can be destroyed and of course, they can. that is not a question. what how effective they will be is an open question. the other message -- [indiscernible] this is very dangerous because russia is a nuclear superpower. on the battlefield, they could do something drastic. there have been different kinds of threats that russia will destroy these tanks. it is not clear how and where because russia does not really have the means, conventionally committed -- to destroy them

until they appear on the battlefield. russian attacks deep in ukraine do happen, but they are not hitting moving targets is not really in the russian capacity very much. right now, they are effectively preparing for coming big battles because it is understood that the battlefield right now will be decided how the situation in ukraine is going to develop. >> obviously this was a difficult decision for the chancellor. when it comes to germany, walk us through how significant a move this is, to allow another country to use german leopard two tanks to fight russians in a war in europe. how big a deal is that? >> it is a very big deal appears specifically for the party of the chancellor.

as teresa mentioned, the greens, the liberal party was supportive for delivery of tanks for weeks now. but, the -- is perceived as the party which -- was always arguing for we need peace with russia. we need diplomacy approach is the right way to go. significantly, the party, the spd, published monday a new white paper on the new foreign policy. just in the section where they defined new relationships with russia. if you read the -- from the elections one and a half years ago, it still says there will be no peace in russia -- europe without russia. now, they have made a 180 u turn. in this new paper, they say we need peace against russia. they apologize indirectly for the faults -- false assumptions in the past years towards putin

and his regime. this is one of the reasons the chancellor was so eager to be backed by the solidarity of the u.s. and european allies to do this only as a team effort. >> if i could follow-up, there has been so much pressure on germany to send these tanks. was the chancellor's decision ultimately contingent upon the u.s. agreeing to send tanks? is that what clinched the deal? >> he didn't say so in public, but it is more than a coincidence that the u.s. government announced the very same moment, he announced that germany will pave the way for the tanks. not just from germany, but also european allies. that they will send abrams tanks, even if we know that some of those are not even produced yet. it might take years to deliver them. it was a huge deal and it seems

the reason why it took so long, also, and the defense minister lloyd austin spent a lot of time in the chancellery come as we heard from leaked press news last week before heading to ram stein for the conversation. in the end, they -- the german government made its way and they are there. it is important also for the german people. if you look into service from today, some people are backing a majority decision but they are also very afraid of further escalation of the war by this decision. go you were talking earlier about what kind of equipment and aid was being pledged initially to ukraine versus what is being pledged now. sending these tanks to ukraine, this is a big reversal of policy for the u.s.. many say this move would have been unthinkable just months ago. we were talking to all off about the german side of the equation,

but on the u.s. side, was this decision by president biden made essentially to convince germany to send their tanks? >> as olaf mentioned, the way it was portrayed in the news, first germany announced, then shortly afterwards, president biden announced. this is a reversal, also, of u.s. policy pair that sends a positive signal, but it takes a lot more time for abrams to get to europe. they have to be billed. there are not many in storage that can be released. as olaf has pointed out, this will take some time. moving them all the way to europe. the fact that countries in europe want to release their leopards is important signal. there is so much frustration in regards to chancellor scholz. there were protests in germany. all sorts of dialogue within germany about this.

time is of the essence. the dashes traditionally more friendly towards russia. i think this is also the closing of an era. with the announcement of the change, some people have described it more as a slalom down a mountain. not so much a turning point as moving around, trying to find the center of gravity. i think this war has lasted longer than anybody in berlin envisioned. as president zelenskyy said, he needs tanks and artillery. he is going to start asking for planes. i do not know if that will happen, but it is important for ukraine to win at this point heard the message is clear that the west is united, despite some kerfuffle. in addition, russia threatening use of nuclear weapons, the west is not kowtowing to that.

that sends an important message to beijing that these idle threats of nuclear weapons designed to scare people and make them have an action. there is analysis by scholz -- signaling -- one analyst view, that they are covered by the u.s. nuclear weapons. nuclear defense. but, they are already covered through nato. i think that is when analysis that germany wanted to have, doing it together with the u.s. to show they are united in that they have coverage. they are on the ground there and they are fearful of escalation. russian rhetoric can be frightening. >> teresa was speaking about russian rhetoric leading up to this moment. and in the past, since the beginning of the war. the potential use of nuclear weapons. tactical nuclear weapons. i'm curious to get your viewpoint, do you think we will

be hearing more about nuclear weapons going forward? >> there have been -- from officials like the former president who is still a heil of -- a high official in the kremlin, talking about the possibility of escalation. that conventional warfare would be unacceptable and russia is a nuclear superpower. that is what nuclear weapons have been used since 1945 as a deterrent, and for -- to threaten possible nuclear escalation to find ways to curtail conventional losses. or at least, conventional threats. nuclear blackmail is normal,

that is how new their weapons have been used all the time. but actually going from there over the nuclear threshold is a totally different story actually using them. any use of nuclear weapons will not bring russia any political or military dividends at all. attacking ukrainian troops on the battlefield will not ring much, -- concentrations. [indiscernible] attacking europe or the united states, there is going to be response. an all-out nuclear war that will totally destroy russia and the russian nation will be wiped out. i believe that is most likely the analysis coming from other places. the kremlin in the -- is saying that this is not really happening. that the nature of the operation

is not changing. i do not think it is moving right now from brinkmanship, blackmail to usage. >> i want to follow up about another issue. you mentioned earlier that russia is going to be preparing for the coming big battles. i am curious, do you believe the potential arrival of these tanks is going to cause pressure to change tactics on the battlefield? >> of course they will be taken into account. though there are many factors. there's a lot of talk in the west about the spring offensive, but that is not happening. there will be no spring offensive. in march, you cannot fight in those places. in ukraine, you drown in mud. that is what happened with the russians last march. there can be escalation right now in the coming week or two. that is possible.

while it is still cold and there is maybe frost down there. and there could be really big fighting already when things begin to dry up. that is an april or may. technically that is spring, but that is really the summer. if nothing happens drastic right now in the coming two weeks, it means everyone is going to be moving into thinking about the big summer campaign and preparing forces and reserves. which is happening right now. there's also lots of disinformation being sent around by all sides, because war is deceit. everyone who wants to attack will try to convince everyone else that he is not attacking. >> the leopard 2 tanks that have been pledged, it is expecting they may start arriving in two to three months. is that timeline realistic?

it is not just about delivery of tanks, it is about training and setting up italians. as all this talk right now but when the tanks get there, is that realistic? do you think that is going to happen? >> what had been reported yesterday was that the training of soldiers and the buildup of repair facilities actually were stalled as of now. therefore, we have training facilities prepared in poland, finland and other places and it takes up to four to six weeks, as i learned, for soldiers to be trained on the leopard tanks. the delivery, no one knows for sure, as i think you quoted before, the new defense minister said maybe mid-march might be realistic. it is hard to say. the question is, what to spring look like this year in ukraine?

indeed, no one knows but at least they will start immediately building up all the facilities because it is way more than just alluring tanks. it is about ammunition and risk -- construction repairs. >> president biden has said this move should not be seen by russia as an offensive threat. but, when the u.s. tanks arrive and when the german tanks arrive, at what point does this have the potential to become an open and direct armed conflict between the west and moscow? >> everyone is very cautious. i sit here in brussels and clearly it is not nato getting involved in this. european states are getting involved by sending support to ukraine. it is not a nato-led initiative. let's make that clear.

we see central eastern member states completely supportive of ukraine, sending whatever they can. estonia sent howard sirs, just to try to shame germany into sending, or agreeing to send leopards. it depends where you sit in europe, how you see this. we should also look at it in a positive. you can look at the classes have empty or half full, but the fact that germany finally did come to this decision is a very important sign of continued support for ukraine. but, they need even more. 14 leopards is not going to do the trick. the russian word for -- [indiscernible] how difficult it is to fight in the muddy spring. there's a great deal of concern about where russia is going to get these troops. there is a clear issue of lack of morale.

the ukrainians have fought better than anyone imagined. they are highly motivated. maybe they could even scope down the training period for the use of the tanks. but, they do require lots of things if they are to win, not just survive. there is a new feeling that after the ram stein meeting, that they have to win. not just carry on indefinitely. the longer this goes on, this whole china-russia alliance of convenience, however you want to describe it, it is going to hurt china long term. >> you spoke earlier about how difficult all this was for chancellor scholz politically. at some point, he acknowledged that many germans are deeply concerned by this decision to send tanks to ukraine. i want to speak for a moment about how much concern there is in germany about this and where public opinion stands.

>> he made yesterday an appearance in front of parliament and closed his statement in which he then announced that germany will send the leopards to ukraine, by addressing directly the german people, saying, i am fully aware of your concerns and i take this seriously. there, you can see he has a good feeling. maybe he is a bad communicator when it comes to allies and political partners, but the people are backing this. there was an interesting switch in public opinion around the ram stein meeting last week. there was a lot of criticism by newspapers and others for why is he not saying a word? why's he not explaining himself? over the weekend, that changed and more commentators and people on the street i talked to say, i actually appreciate he is not rushing into this. we are afraid of ending up in the next war with putin.

also, it is a very german domestic bait. the conversation here in the beginning, we talked about defensive weapons versus offensive weapons. weapons are weapons. you can do anything with them. it was important for the discourse to say, we are delivering weapons at the beginning of the support for ukraine last year, saying we are not entering a war. we are not interested in escalation, just giving weapons. but, the leopard tanks, yes, they have been delivered. president zelenskyy made that specific -- saying they will use it. he gave aco interview to german states tv and said we will use her leopards only to defend our country, we are not intending to attack russia. this is important for german discourse and shows contingency. >> we are going to have to leave the conversation there. they you to our guests.

and thank you too for watching. you can see the program any time by visiting our website. for further discussion, go to our facebook page. you can join the conversation on twitter. for me and the whole team, goodbye for now. ♪

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