The U.S., Britain and Germany have upgraded their aid, the shadow of the nuclear war has intensified, and the Russian-Ukrainian war is imminent？

　　[Special correspondent of Global Times in Russia and Germany Sui Xin Special correspondent of Aoki Global Times Liu Yupeng] "Now it’s a tank, will it be a fighter next?" After some western countries broke the taboo of military assistance to Ukraine and announced the provision of main battle tanks to Ukraine, the outside world became increasingly worried about the further escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

　　On the 25th, the US and German governments respectively announced that they would provide Ukraine with main battle tanks that were previously considered "unimaginable" to help Ukraine gain an advantage on the battlefield, and Canada also announced that it would join the ranks on the 26th. Russia accused these actions of "playing with fire" and "naked provocation". On the 26th, Ukraine claimed that its entire energy infrastructure suffered a "massive air strike", killing at least 11 people. Uzbekistan thanked the Western countries for their promised tank assistance, and immediately put forward the next request unabashedly: fighter planes. In response to the decision of some western countries to provide tanks to Ukraine, Dujaric, spokesman of the UN Secretary-General, said on 26th that "according to the current developments observed by the UN in Ukraine, this will not bring the peace that the UN hopes".

　　"We can get everything except nuclear weapons."

　　After the western media reported for several days that "Germany will provide heavy tanks to Ukraine", the German government confirmed on the 25th that Germany will provide Ukraine with 14 "Leopard" main battle tanks, and approved other countries equipped with such German tanks to do so. Later the same day, US President Biden made a speech at the White House, saying that the United States would provide 31 M1 "abrams" main battle tanks to Ukraine. "Deutsche Welle" said that at this point, the United States changed its previous position of refusing to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine. However, according to US officials, it may take "several months" for these tanks to arrive in Ukraine. On the 26th, Canadian Defense Minister Anand said that four Leopard 2 main battle tanks will be provided to Ukraine in the next few weeks.

　　The Ukrainian side welcomes this decision. Ukrainian President Zelenski said in his speech on the evening of 25th that "this is good news for Ukraine", and he called on western countries to provide Ukraine with more heavy weapons, including long-range missiles, artillery and fighter planes. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister melnick told DPA: "There is no doubt that this will change the battlefield situation and be a real breakthrough … …”

　　The Russian side reacted strongly. According to Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on the 26th, Russian Presidential Press Secretary peskov said on the same day that Russia believed that NATO countries were directly involved in the conflict by providing Ukrainian tanks and other weapons, and the degree was increasing. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Zacharova said on the 27th that the supply of tanks by the West to Ukraine will not help Kiev to change the war situation, but will bring the confrontation between western countries and Russia to a new height.

　　France Radio International said on the 27th that the western military support is vital to Kiev. Before the Russian invasion, even the idea of providing deadly aid to Ukraine was controversial, but the western supply has broken one taboo after another. Yuri Sack, adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, said: "They (Western countries) didn’t want to give us heavy artillery, and then they gave it; They didn’t want to give us the hippocampus system, and then they did; They didn’t want to give us tanks, and now they have; We can get everything except nuclear weapons. "

　　This decision has also been questioned in Europe. Taiani, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said on 25th that the EU has no real foreign and defense policies, and always follows the Americans, and ultimately serves the interests of the United States. Agence France-Presse said that Ukraine’s call for Western allies to provide more weapons was met with a cold shoulder among French leftists, who were worried that Russia with nuclear weapons would be stimulated and the war would escalate.

　　Next target: fighter plane?

　　"At one time, it seemed unimaginable to provide tanks to Ukraine. Is the combat opportunity the next one? " On the 26th, CNN reported that the decision of Germany, the United States, Britain and Poland to provide Ukraine with main battle tanks was faster than many people thought a few months ago. Western countries have shown unity and hope to stop Russia’s new offensive, and have put aside the concern that "more advanced weapons assistance may anger Russia." "With the commitment of tanks in place, Ukrainian leaders once again publicly called on the West to provide fighter jets." According to reports, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov told CNN this week: "Last year, I sent a wish list card to Santa Claus, and fighter planes were among them."

　　According to the US CNBC website, Ukraine has made no secret that it hopes to receive fighter planes from its allies, such as American F-16s, to help it fight against Russia. Sarkozy, adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, said: "The key to the next step is to acquire the fourth-generation fighter. If we get these fighters, the advantage on the battlefield will be enormous … … Not only the F-16 third-generation or third-and-a-half-generation fighters, but also the latest fourth-generation fighters, which is what we want. "

　　CNN said that in public, western leaders avoided discussing the issue of providing fighters to Ukraine, but now there are more and more signs that this is not impossible. Last week, the Dutch Foreign Minister told the country’s parliamentarians that there are "no taboos" when it comes to what the Netherlands can offer Ukraine. The Polish government also expressed its support for NATO to provide fighter jets to Ukraine on the 26th.

　　However, France Radio International said that German Chancellor Angela Scholcz was very cautious at present, saying that it was impossible to provide Ukrainian fighters. He said in the German Bundestag a few days ago, "I made it clear very early that we don’t talk about fighter planes." "Under any circumstances, we will not send ground troops, and NATO soldiers will not be directly involved in the Ukrainian war."

　　Corresponding to this statement, German Foreign Minister Berber said at the European Council meeting on the 24th that "European countries are at war with Russia", which attracted Russian attention. RIA Novosti said that Zacharova demanded an explanation from Germany on the 27th. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry had to respond and reiterated that NATO would not be a party to the Ukrainian war.

　　Russia’s "Viewpoint" said on the 26th that Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russian "Defense" magazine, believed that the decision of virtue to provide tanks to Ukraine was the beginning of large-scale military supply. Soon, the west will deliver hundreds of tanks. Russia’s response to this may be to equip the frontline combat troops with tactical nuclear weapons. He said: "We are heading for the 2.0 Caribbean crisis. We must be prepared for this. At present, all the red lines of Russia have been crossed by the West. "

　　"The overall plan of the Russian winter (spring) campaign in 2023 has surfaced."

　　"What we want to see is peace and a just world in line with the UN Charter. But what we have observed so far has not led us in this direction. " Dujaric, spokesman of the UN Secretary-General, said on 26th.

　　According to the Russian "Viewpoint" report, the Russian army has recently launched an active offensive in the direction of central and southern Donetsk and Zaporoge, and the overall plan of the Russian army’s winter (spring) campaign in 2023 has surfaced. According to the report, this campaign will be mainly reflected in a series of offensive actions consisting of independent offensives launched in front and even in all directions. These offensives will lead to confusion in the command of the Ukrainian army. Even if the Ukrainian army can grasp the operational information of Russian troops, it does not have enough time to mobilize the reserve team, and it is impossible to determine which direction "loopholes" should be blocked first.

　　Russia’s "Lianta. com" quoted Russian military and political scientist Pelenghi Yev as saying that the Ukrainian conflict is evolving into a global confrontation. But at present, Russia, NATO and the United States have not shown the will to launch the third world war. "The West is very interested in Ukraine’s continued hostilities, but it hopes that the conflict will continue in Ukraine."