let's give them a round _ deputy of defence. let's give them a round of— deputy of defence.on wednesday 'ust the helicopter crash on wednesday just outside of kyiv which took the lives of— just outside of kyiv which took the lives of more than a dozen people including — lives of more than a dozen people including ukraine's interior ministen _ including ukraine's interior minister. let me express our deepest condolences _ minister. let me express our deepest condolences to our ukrainian friends today— condolences to our ukrainian friends today and _ condolences to our ukrainian friends today and to all of the families in mourning — today and to all of the families in mourning after this tragic crash. we are meeting at a turbulent time, but if you _ are meeting at a turbulent time, but if you look— are meeting at a turbulent time, but if you look around this table you can see — if you look around this table you can see the resolve and the unity of the contact — can see the resolve and the unity of the contact group. some 50 countries have stepped up to help ukraine defend _ ha

i are you most interested in is a defence attorney?— defence attorney? most interested in _ defence attorney? i am most interested in what _ defence attorney? i am most interested in what he - defence attorney? i am most interested in what he knew i defence attorney? i am most| interested in what he knew as it related to gun safety on the set and if he knew what was possible that the dummy rounds that they think they are loading were possibly live and that he was taking a conscious risk in relying on the information that was given to him, and i think that comes out in text messages, i think that comes out in separate e—mails and discussions as it relates to safety violations on the set, and i think it comes out in the gun training that he did ordid in the gun training that he did or did not receive as it relates to the set. thank you very much — relates to the set. thank you very much for— relates to the set. thank you very much for your _ relates to the set. thank you very much for your time. - rachel fiset. let's move on and talk about some of the othe

talk asked why this defence is so siunificant. , , .., talk asked why this defence is so siunificant.ficant. this is called a reciprocal _ significant. this is called a reciprocal access - significant. this is called a l reciprocal access agreement significant. this is called a - reciprocal access agreement which allows british forces operating in japan to be protected under british law and likewise japanese forces operating in the uk to operate under japanese law and that also means when they might be operating together in the middle, in the indian ocean or elsewhere, they are able to work together without jeopardising each other perfect safety. jeopardising each other perfect safe . ., . ., ~' safety. how much do you think the role of china _ safety. how much do you think the role of china has _ safety. how much do you think the role of china has had _ safety. how much do you think the role of china has had an _ safety. how much do you think the role of china has had an influencel role of china has had an influence on all of this, given that we have heard comments, haven't we, very

deputy chief of defence.of nato met with one _ members of the countries of nato met with one of— members of the countries of nato met with one of the primary topic to be in support— with one of the primary topic to be in support ukraine. i think that in my in support ukraine. i think that in n1y43— in support ukraine. i think that in n1y43as— in support ukraine. i think that in n1y43asan— in support ukraine. i think that in my a3 as an uniform this is the most unified _ my a3 as an uniform this is the most unified i_ my a3 as an uniform this is the most unified i have — my a3 as an uniform this is the most unified i have ever seen nato. the war has— unified i have ever seen nato. the war has evolved over the last 11 months — war has evolved over the last 11 months but the mission of this group, — months but the mission of this group, this contact group has remained _ group, this contact group has remained the same. we are effectively committed to supporting ukraine _ effectively committed to supporting ukrain

| money strategically and our defence budget— money strategically and our defence budget also— moneyet also needs to be reevaluated. it's important — budget also needs to be reevaluated. it's important we _ budget also needs to be reevaluated. it's important we have _ budget also needs to be reevaluated. it's important we have a _ budget also needs to be reevaluated. it's important we have a strong - it's important we have a strong military— it's important we have a strong mititary with _ it's important we have a strong military with strong _ it's important we have a strong military with strong support, i it's important we have a strong. military with strong support, it's it's important we have a strong i military with strong support, it's a core function _ military with strong support, it's a core function of _ military with strong support, it's a core function of federal _ military with strong support, it's a i core function of federal government and see _ core function of federal government and see if— core function of federal government and see if we — core function of federal go

how can you do that when the german defence minister, pistorius, says after ramstein, "we cannot sayn a decision on sending the tanks will come and we cannot say what it will look like." well, i think it's an issue of german politics, of how they frame their decisions and when they make it. ourjob is to make them make those decisions sooner, as soon as it is possible. yes, of course, one can feel frustrated about the pace of this decision—making process. but on the other hand, as i said, i have enough indicators to conclude that this decision will be made and this issue will be resolved. i understand that sometimes in capitals, it takes time to make decisions. fine. while they are making decisions, we continue ourfight. and it's true, it's a sad truth, but i have to say that every day of a protracted discussion in one of the capitals, or in some capitals, means that more ukrainian soldiers will die because of the lack of weapons and more... hang on. that's important. are you saying those deaths are germany's responsibility, that ukrainian blood right now is on german hands? i think i

there are some remarks from the new german defence minister to i the new german defence minister to thehat tanks might be sent, i imagine it would be a consortium of leopards owning nations, the great majority of the tanks are outside germany that you need german spy outside germany that you need german spy parts and logistical support so i hope that after this public discussion we will come together and do what is necessary to help ukraine withstand any russian offensive order to recover its own territory. why do you think germany is so reluctant to authorise anything before the us moves on tanks? i think it is internal politics in germany, the spd needs to make a more forceful argument about why russia may not prevail in ukraine to their own electorate. the duty of those politicians is not only to reflect public opinion but also to shape and yet german politicians can do more. ~ ., ., i. shape and yet german politicians can do more. ~ ., ., ,, ., , .,, do more. what do you mean, shaping ublic do more. what do you mean, shaping public opinion? _ do more. what do you mean, shaping publi

he's vowing to crush the people's defence forces, who he calls terrorists.e bombing villages and carrying out brutal raids. the military are relying on local informers to tip them off. now mahura has been told one is living nearby. she prepares her team to raid their house. they say they've already sent a number of warning letters. they find a house empty. after completing his training, myo is on his first mission against the myanmar military. rapid gunfire his unit is ambushing a remote military outpost. gunfire continues the raid has taken the military forces by surprise. they're not in uniform. myo�*s unit takes five soldiers captive. during the battle, myo�*s friend was badly injured. bell rings it's been six months since she's seen her boys. myo, too, is longing for loved ones. it's been eight months since he left home. two months after losing his friend, myo is being sent back into battle. low and welcome to this look at the weather for the week. 2022 handed with heavy rain for some causing flooding. snow places particularly in scotland. significant sn

according to the us defence secretary.rs. as we werejust ministers. as we were just hearing, the government is considering putting £300 million into british steel, to save the struggling metal maker from collapse. save the struggling metal maker from colla se. ~ ., save the struggling metal maker from collase. ~ . ., save the struggling metal maker from collase. ~ ., ., ., save the struggling metal maker from collase. ~ . . ., collapse. what we want? fair pay! when do we _ collapse. what we want? fair pay! when do we want _ collapse. what we want? fair pay! when do we want it? _ when do we want it? now! more strike action has been announced by ambulance workers. 0ne announced by ambulance workers. one of the dates will coincide with a strike by nurses. as we say, the unite union announcing more dates will strike action by ambulance workers in england, wales and northern ireland. some of them coincide with walkouts by ambulance staff from another union, the gmb, and on one date in february, nurses will also be striking. 0ur

"fighting continues in soledar, our troops are holding defence against the enemy."d russia's attack here for months. the price is getting heavier. translation: we will never give up. - this is our soledar, our city, and we will not give it to anyone. ukraine is ours. as soon as we see the russian soldiers we will hit them. the kremlin has not had anything to cheer about for the last six months since it last captured a major location. soledar would change that but it's also why kyiv is hinting at a possible retreat, and that is because the last time a city fell russia made minimal gains and ukraine retook swathes of territory elsewhere. it's also why soledar is unlikely to alter the course of this war. we were in the nearby city of bakhmut last weekend, an urban battlefield that could not have felt further from the politics of control. ukraine is trying to portray its own momentum. translation: the aggressor must be defeated on the ukrainian - land where he came so that it won't be necessary to fight on the lands of other european nations later. we need to do it now

defence chiefs have pledged fresh support.lin is still resisting pressure to release its leopard iis. it gets to decide where german—made tanks can go, even those bought by other countries. minister, why is berlin so hesitant on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are just very carefully balancing the pros and cons. we are not talking just about delivering anything to anybody. this is a new kind of measure. these crowds in berlin want germany to do more, but the government has its eye on broader public opinion. the country's world war ii history still casts a long shadow, while there are fears of escalation. they've not made a decision on the provision of leopard tanks. what we're really focused on is making sure that ukraine has the capability that it needs to be successful right now. the nato military alliance is pressing a sense of urgency. there is a need for support to ukraine, to enable them not only to survive but actually to retake territory to win this war. but there is a lot of talk about a russian spring of

warnings from the us and other the defence select committee . defence select committee. britain no longer has a top level military force as a defence faces questions in the commons . we'll ask a former commons. we'll ask a former general if we could now really defend britain from foreign threats . the latest on the threats. the latest on the migrant crisis. threats. the latest on the migrant crisis . 189 more migrant crisis. 189 more arriving yesterday . well, now arriving yesterday. well, now the home secretary says new measures will deny serious offenders, claiming they are victims of modern mark white. with us to assess if will have any impact on boris johnson claims putin threatened to take out with a missile that deranged mutterings of a madman. putin that is, or a threat to britain's security . we'll be britain's security. we'll be asking and as ever tell us what you think. email us at gb views at gbnews.uk. first, the latest headunes at gbnews.uk. first, the latest headlines with . tamsin mark, headlines with. tamsin mark, thanks very much. and good afternoon. you

president zelensky has made his appeal to this meeting of defence chiefs at ramstein airbase. soldiers in using the leopard 2s, but berlin gets to decide where the leopard tanks are deployed. the us is also under pressure to make its abrams tanks available to ukrainian forces. it has not said yes yet, but is offering other support. until putin ends this war, his war of choice, the nations of this contact group will continue to support the defence of ukraine in order to uphold the rules—based international order. domestic politics, its past, and a fear of escalating the conflict all play into germany's caution. but this meeting was about more than just tanks, with much wider pledges of military aid and an air of urgency. front—line ukrainian units are using soviet—era tanks — they need modern equipment. they expect a spring offensive from russia and bigger battles to come. president zelensky and the first lady have been taking part in a memorial in kyiv for interior minister denys monastyrsky and 13 other people killed following a helicopter crash. the accident happened earlier

the russian ministry of defence ministry has put the l defence ministry has put the death toll at 89ay it is much higher. eitherway ukraine does say it is much higher. either way it is the biggest loss of life on a single day that moscow has admitted to since the war began in february. and so someone like the us presidentjoe biden has said that perhaps writer is trying to look for some oxygen here with a cease fire. some analysts have told the bbc that it is very much all connected because that attack happened on new year's eve which is a very important day on the russian calendar and that perhaps president putin is trying to avoid a similar loss of life on another important religious holiday to in terms of, you know, the opportunity when it comes to a ceasefire, the turkish president thought that perhaps there was a chance to ask for a unilateral ceasefire so that the two sides could negotiate to whether that happens is another matter. thank you very much. paralysis continues in the us congress. the republican leader in the us house of representatives, kevin mccarthy, has failed in

today, it's new defence minister met lloyd austin.n't sent main battle tanks either. in berlin there are still lingering fears of russian escalation. moscow has once again warned the west against providing heavy weapons to ukraine. it's promised to hunt them down and destroy them. jonathan beale, bbc news, tapa, estonia. to the uk now — and lancashire police have said they're looking into rishi sunak after the prime minsiter was filmed for social media, not wearing a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car. mr sunak�*s apologised for what downing street called a "brief error ofjudgment". the offence can be punished with fines of up to £500. i want to tell you now that there's been major disruption across france, as unions hold a day of strikes and protest marches against president macron�*s plans to overhaul the pension system. thousands of people hav been marching through paris and in more than 200 cities across france. strikes have crippled much of the rail network, and caused the cancellation of some flights. they've also hit s

i'm very interested by that phrase, "self—defence".se, of course, we're talking about the 1960s and dr martin luther king was leading a civil rights movement. his movement was very much based on the notion of nonviolent resistance. mm—hm. was your notion of what self—defence meant something different from what dr king was talking about? i don't really think so. i think if we look at the violent way in which this country, the united states, was conceived, i can't think of anything more violent than owning humans. so i think that the black panther party... we were young, median age 19 years old, and we thought, "well, we believe in what dr martin luther king believes in, "however we also want to protect ourselves "and our beloveds," and so that was what we were talking about when we talked about self—defence, that we won't let people just knock our doors down, beat us up, stop us, frisk us, beat us up, arrest us for no reason, that we will say something about it and we will do something about it. in this remarkable book that you've been

that paramount would answer in the defence may be not _ in the defence may be not exploitation or thed 17 years old at the time and i am not clear about what exactly they�* re h time and i am not clear about what exactly they're h was when this was filmed, but they will be entitled to whatever defence they are going to have. and we will go forward from there. . ~ have. and we will go forward from there. ., ~' ,, have. and we will go forward from there. ., ,, i. ., have. and we will go forward from there. ., ,, ., ., have. and we will go forward from there. ., ~' i., ., ., , have. and we will go forward from there. ., ,, ., ., , ., there. thank you for “oining us on the programme. _ and before we go, i want to tell you about a man who was saved from being pulled under a moving train at a station in india. take a look at this. the man was rescued by a soldier from india's railway protection force after he tripped and fell while trying to board a train. local media reported that the incident, which was captured on a cctv camera, took place at the purnea junction train station, in the eas

mr akbari was the deputy defence minister. was the deputy defence minister between 1997 and 2005.been in for three years and three months, of which ten months was in solitary confinement. we received a video message on which mr akbari says he has been tortured for three and a half thousand hours during that period. he was forced to take psychedelic drugs, he was forced to confess to crimes that he has not committed in front of several cameras. and in part of his interview, oraudiophile, he says iran is seeking to take revenge from the uk by executing him. and some analysts believe the reason is that last week we heard that the uk is preparing to call iran's revolutionary guards a terrorist organisation, and some believe that there might be a link between that decision and the decision to execute mr akbari. a , decision and the decision to execute mr akbari. n, , ., ., mr akbari. many thanks for the latest. while we have been on air, the news has come in of the death of the rock guitaristjeff beck, at the age of 78. jeff beck, who played with the yardbirds and jeff beck group died

ministry, and later that night, the defence ministry issued a statement, saying that one of the defencethree mini spy drones. the defence ministry said they had downed one of the mini drones and they trapped and exploded two more. they did not point any fingers at any countries or any parties, but we know that israeli media and also the wall streetjournal said that israel was behind this. also, iranian state media and authorities said that no major damage was done, they said that there were no casualties and there was only a minor damage on the roof of the facilities, but the israeli media said that this was a phenomenal success and they said that it was a successful attack. some experts also said that to attack a major facility — a major defence facility — in the middle of iran, that is a success. we are yet to hear any comments from the authorities about who they are accusing, but the ministry of foreign affairs has said that this was a cowardly attack and has not impacted iran's operations very much. and let's just look at the wider context to this as well. could this be related to i

you drones, most of the air targets were hit with air defences.— hit with air defences.defences. you say that the celebrations were _ hit with air defences. you say that the celebrations were as - hit with air defences. you say that the celebrations were as normal. hit with air defences. you say that| the celebrations were as normal as possible but what has changed is over the last year, your definition of normality and had to change because of the invasion and the ongoing war. tt because of the invasion and the ongoing war-— because of the invasion and the onauoin war. ., ., , . ., ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. ongoing war. it has totally changed for us- and — ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. and first _ ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. and first of— ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. and first of all— ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. and first of all of— ongoing war. it has totally changed for us. and first of all of course, i for us. and first of all of course, now we have more empty chairs around our tables beca

i defence spending when conversation may help more?— may help more? more than a danger. i _ may help more? i think it is more than a danger. i think _ may help more? i think it is more than a danger. i think it _ may help more? i think it is more than a danger. i think it is - may help more? i think it is more than a danger. i think it is a - than a danger. i think it is a reality. my own belief, looking at the patents of armament spending for at least the last 20 years is that there is a substantial build—up of weaponry in this part of the world. it has been facilitated by the very rapid economic growth of most asian economies. which means they are able to afford more and more sophisticated military capabilities, particularly in those areas i mentioned, maritime, missile, submarine and air capabilities. so what it means is that if were were to break out in this part of the world it would be a very high intensity work, high stakes war. and it is hard to tell which side would prevail on the stage. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme. you'r

the air defence systems took some out, but not all.hich is why president zelensky is continuing to call for more on that front in terms of air defences as well as more weapons themselves. and he's also condemned the attacks and, in a hint at how far he is from any kind of peace deal or wanting to negotiate, he said the only way to deal with russia in this regard is on the battlefield. speaking on bbc breakfast this morning, the chair of the defence select committee, tobias ellwood, said the government was focusing too heavily on issues like equipment rather than considering a strategy for ukrainian success. we can'tjust keep gifting different variants of equipment, across europe, supply chains... it is not sustainable. in my view we should be developing a ukrainian arms factory, an assembly line in eastern poland so it can procure its own military kit, ammunitions for the long—term, that would be a strategic objective we could all agree on. that was tobias ellwood. we don't know how much he has the ear of that was tobias ellwood. we do

and david, what is mr musk's defence _ wednesday. and david, what is mr musk's defence here?. and david, what is l mr musk's defence here? well he and his fellow _ mr musk's defence here? well he and his fellow defendants - mr musk's defence here? well he and his fellow defendants deny i and his fellow defendants deny any wrongdoing in this case and they said they had ever reason to believe that funding had been secured in order to take the company into private hands based on several meetings that had taken place with a saudi billionaire. now, they have an uphill task, his lawyers, in persuading thejury to uphill task, his lawyers, in persuading the jury to believe that based on the fact that the judge last year decided that the tweets in question were reckless and untrue as he put it, and the fact that the judge has denied a request by mr musk to move the trial out of san francisco to texas on the grounds that he doesn't think he will get a fair trial in san francisco following the listing surrounding his acquisition of twitter. so it will take place, jury twitter. so it wil

the council, the defence — countries. the council, the defence minister's - countries.ster's visit, what about more generally, how will this impact the relationship? —— they've counselled. i this impact the relationship? -- they've counselled. i have cancelled- — -- they've counselled. i have cancelled. sweden _ -- they've counselled. i have cancelled. sweden as - -- they've counselled. i have cancelled. sweden as well i -- they've counselled. i have cancelled. sweden as well asj cancelled. sweden as well as finland are trying to have come have announced their intention tojoin nato, they have put in their bid but the catch there is that turkey is already a member of this western military alliance and though therefore can block any other country from joining and yet, this is very important to sweden, ever since russia invaded ukraine, it prompted them to join an alliance that they were hesitant to join before and so they really want to repair this relationship with president over one and this certainly damages it and on top of it president over one has already been calli

thank ou ve in the ministry of defence. thank you very much — in the ministry of defence.much for _ in the ministry of defence. thank you very much for that, - in the ministry of defence. thank you very much for that, olga - you very much for that, olga ivshana, from the bbc russian service. a 30—hour wait for an ambulance and 12 hours sitting outside a&e — more distressing stories are emerging this morning of the nhs under pressure this winter. the uk's health secretary, stephen barclay, has blamed high numbers of flu and covid cases, and fears of strep a infections. many hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand, with ambulance services declaring critical incidents. graham satchell reports. these are all the ambulances outside king's lynn hospital, waiting to take patients in. this phone footage was taken by sarahjones at the queen elizabeth hospital in norfolk. she was with her 84—year—old dad, mervyn. so it's 8:50 and we just got out of the ambulance. 8:50pm. and paramedics came to the house at 8:30am this morning. so we've been almost 12 hours in an ambulance, a

the following week the defence _ negotiate. the following week the defence secretary - negotiate.ew - negotiate. the following week the defence secretary flew to | the defence secretary flew to moscow to meet russian military chiefs where, he says, they lied to him about their plans for ukraine. i lied to him about their plans for ukraine.— lied to him about their plans for ukraine. , , for ukraine. i remember saying if they would — for ukraine. i remember saying if they would fight _ for ukraine. i remember saying if they would fight and - for ukraine. i remember saying if they would fight and he - for ukraine. i remember saying if they would fight and he said l if they would fight and he said that his mother was ukrainian and they won't. he also said that he had no intention of invading. . no intention of �*vanyu'. i know you know i am lying and i am still going to lie to you. it was a direct lie of what they were not going to do however that, i think they were going to do it. find do however that, i think they were going to do it.— do however that, i think they were going to do

the ministry of defence in moscow| the ministry of defence in moscow does not usually acknowledge lossesre both acknowledging a loss and giving a pretty high number. usually we would double or treble that number, so if this is something in the order of 200 dead, even 150, that is an enormous loss for russia, a one—time loss, one of the biggest in the war so far. we are hearing about bloggers in russia pointing the finger at the authorities for having such a concentration of troops there. but how would the ukrainian forces no, obviously the himars rocket launchers are doing impressive things for them, how would they know exactly what to hit?— exactly what to hit? there are a number of _ exactly what to hit? there are a number of ways _ exactly what to hit? there are a number of ways they _ exactly what to hit? there are a number of ways they might - exactly what to hit? there are a l number of ways they might know. shared intelligence on the united states, satellite intelligence. they might know from drone reconnaissance. human intelligence, spies out there. but we have seen reports that

today, it's new defence minister met lloyd austin.commitment to support ukraine's self— defence for the long haul. the us, ukraine's biggest military backer, so far hasn't sent main battle tanks either. in berlin there are still lingering fears of russian escalation. moscow has once again warned the west against providing heavy weapons to ukraine. it's promised to hunt them down and destroy them. the mood music doesn't sound that positive, poland says it wants to send 14 of its german—made leopard tanks to ukraine. tonight, its prime minister said he was moderately pessimistic that germany would give the green light. that said, germany has resisted pressure to give weapons in the past and then has sent them, so it could still change. there is a sense of urgency. western officials tell me there is a window officials tell me there is a window of opportunity in the spring for ukraine to go on the offensive, so whatever happens at ram steam tomorrow this pressure will continue. thank you, jonathan beale. the inquest into the death of a yo

western defence ci for western defence chiefs gathering in germany, a huge decision awaits. one that could shape the next phase of the war in ukraine and potentially even its outcome. these allies have already given ukraine unprecedented military support, now they need to decide whether to go further. america's position, at least, is clear. it further. america's position, at least, is clear.— least, is clear. if this is a crucial — least, is clear. if this is a crucial moment. - least, is clear. if this is a crucial moment. russia | least, is clear. if this is a | crucial moment. russia is least, is clear. if this is a _ crucial moment. russia is recruiting and regrouping. this is not a moment to slow down, it is a time to dig deeper. the ukrainian people are watching us. the kremlin is watching us. and history is watching us. so we won't let up and we went waver in our determination to help ukraine defend itself from russia's imperial aggression. defend itself from russia's imperial an uression. ~ . ~ ., defend itself from russia's imperial anression. ~ . ~ . ., , defend it

here's our defence correspondent, jonathan beale.respondent, jonathan beale. main battle tank a be western main battle tank also soon be rolling into ukraine, including these german made leopards. berlin had been resisting pressure, worried about escalation. but it has now relented, a significant u—turn, germany will initially supply ukraine with at least 1a leopard 2, with training for their crews to start soon. soon. olaf scholz said that germany would co—ordinate the tanks but he add his country would ensure nato is not drawn into a war with russia. germany's decision paves the way for other european countries to do the same. poland has been seeking german permission to send 1a of its leopards to ukraine too. the german made tank is used by many nation, others are expected to follow in their track, that is in addition to m british army challenger tanks already pledged to ukraine. the us is reported to be on the verge of a decision, to supply ukraine with some of its own tanks. ukraine with some of its own tanks. ukraine is still u

here's our defence correspondent jonathan beale.l soon be rolling into ukraine, including these german—made leopards. berlin had been resisting pressure, worried about escalation. but it has now relented, a significant u—turn. germany will initially supply ukraine with at least 14 leopard 2s with training for their crews to start soon. chancellor olaf scholz told his parliament that germany would now coordinate delivery of its leopard tanks with allies. but he added his country would ensure that nato is not drawn into a war with russia. germany's decision paves the way for other european countries to do the same. poland has been seeking german permission to send 14 of its leopards to ukraine, too. the german—made tank is operated by many european nations. others are expected to follow in their tracks. that's in addition to 14 british army challenger tanks already pledged to ukraine. the us is also reported to be on the verge of a decision to supply ukraine with some of its own abrams tanks. ukraine is still unlikely to get the 300 a

he told me whyjapan is increasing its defence spending.ne most countries are feeling less secure than they were a year ago. i think that russia's launch of a war in ukraine took a lot of people by surprise. many such as myself thought that it was completely irrational for russia to attack ukraine. and i think the big lesson coming out of russia's attack on ukraine is that we cannot rely on authoritarian regimes like russia simply to behave rationally. that we have to prepare for them to behave irrationally as well. i think that is why countries such as japan happened shoring up security ties other countries. this all coming against the backdrop of increased concerns in this part of the world about china's actions when it comes to taiwan. how much do you think that is a factor? i think it is a major factor. not only is there china's intentions but also their rapidly growing military capabilities. we have been watching for about three decades now rapid growth of all arms of china's military capabilities. those are of particular interest to c

for defence dr liam fox.ch forjoining us. what is your view on germany finally making this decision after so much heart searching, it seems, that they were doing? searching, it seems, that they were doinu ? ~ ~ , searching, it seems, that they were doinr? ~ ~ , ., doing? well, i think it is a good decision and _ doing? well, i think it is a good decision and i _ doing? well, i think it is a good decision and i think _ doing? well, i think it is a good decision and i think that - doing? well, i think it is a good decision and i think that it i doing? well, i think it is a good| decision and i think that it shows that the international community is not willing to see their rules—based system of international law being trashed by putin without making a substantial response. i think we have to however remember that it is notjust have to however remember that it is not just the quantity have to however remember that it is notjust the quantity of have to however remember that it is not just the quantity of the arma

russian air defences shot down two of the rockets.f the impact of four rockets with high explosive warheads, 63 russian servicemen were killed. we can speak now to professor phillips o'brien, professor of strategic studies at st andrews university. thank you for being with us. tell us more about what we know about this attack. these rockets supplied by the united states. tell us more about them and what kind of damage they can do. about them and what kind of damage the can do. , ., about them and what kind of damage they can de— they can do. they are highly accurate _ they can do. they are highly accurate rocket _ they can do. they are highly accurate rocket artillery - they can do. they are highly - accurate rocket artillery system. they have taken what we think of as original artillery and put on a rocket but put it in with terribly high accuracy. so that you can hit a building in over 100 miles away if you have the right ammunition. you can hit it with devastating effect. i think what we can say is what has happened here has made a

a defence. or— one point he was using, as a defence. or you _ one point he was using, as a defence, orn't believe everything i tweet, — shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but _ shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but of— shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but of course - shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but of course a - shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but of course a lot i shouldn't believe everything i tweet, but of course a lot of. shouldn't believe everything i- tweet, but of course a lot of people did believe — tweet, but of course a lot of people did believe what _ tweet, but of course a lot of people did believe what he _ tweet, but of course a lot of people did believe what he tweeted, - tweet, but of course a lot of people did believe what he tweeted, and l tweet, but of course a lot of people| did believe what he tweeted, and of course _ did believe what he tweeted, and of course there — did believe what he tweeted, and of course there is _ did believe what he tweeted, and of course there is evidence _ did believe what he tweeted, and of course there is evi

it was a direct appeal to this meeting of defence chiefs.n germany can go, even those bought by other countries. minister, why is berlin so hesitant on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are just very carefully balancing the pros and cons. we are not talking just about delivering anything to anybody, this is a new kind of measure we would choose. domestic politics, germany's past and a fear of escalating the conflict may all play into berlin's caution. but this meeting was about more than tanks, with much wider pledges of military aid and an air of urgency. they've not made a decision on the provision of leopard tanks. what we're really focused on is making sure that ukraine has a capability that it needs to be successful right now. the nato military alliance sees this as a pivotal moment. there is a need for support to ukraine, to enable them not only to survive but actually to retake territory to win this war. but there is a lot of talk about a russian spring offensive. do you think ukraine can take back territory this year? abso

cancelled the visit by the defence minister but what about more widely for their relationship?as extremely important _ relationship? the meeting was extremely important to - relationship? the meeting was| extremely important to sweden and that's because sweden as well as finland have said that they would like to join nato. they made that intention very clear after russia invaded ukraine. they seejoining clear after russia invaded ukraine. they see joining this western defence military alliance as extremely important to their own security. the catch is that turkey is already a member and so it can block any other country from joining. and so, relationships between these two countries are extremely important and the meeting with the defence minister was extremely important and resident odour one has also made clear he would like concessions. he wants certain critics of his in sweden to be expelled, he insists some terrorists should be in expelled as well and he is setting a high bar and on top of it it was only last week that demonstrators burned in effigy of president odour one