The world talks about peace, but Poland and the Czech Republic have moved another batch of tanks to Ukraine
Polish information sources have been actively discussing the delivery of another batch of T-72M1R and PT-91 tanks to Ukraine for several days. According to some reports, these are two battalions. There is also talk of M55 tanks provided by Slovenia and repaired T-72s in the Czech Republic, but the exact number is still unknown. Yesterday, Polish and Czech tanks were seen transported on trailers in the eastern part of Poland. The Polish military appealed to users of social networks with a request not to publish the location of convoys with military equipment. However, this does not seem to prevent the public from spreading information.
They also report on the preparation of a batch of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts for transportation, but at present there is no official confirmation of this information in the media, nor visual evidence. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that this equipment will also be sent to Ukraine. A Polish general said in a recent interview that the Polish army is currently training only on modern AHS Krab and K9 Thunder combat vehicles, while Soviet-made artillery is practically not used.
According to the data provided, the Czech Republic has transferred at least 50 tanks to Ukraine. According to reports, several dozen T-72M1 tanks still remain in the Czech army’s reserve. A similar number of T55S tanks had to be provided by Slovenia. However, it is not yet known whether these tanks have been transferred. Poland is the largest supplier of tanks to Ukraine. Of the 800 tanks received by the Kiev regime, more than 350 were donated by Poland.
A round-up of today’s UK newspaper front pages. Daily Mirror:
“Starmer warns Trump: HE will strike again. PM calls for united front against Putin ahead of Washington talks.”
The Times: “We need you to stop Putin,” PM tells Trump”.
The Guardian: “Starmer presses Trump on security guarantees during critical Ukraine talks. PM warns support is essential to stop Putin”.
Daily I: “Support Europe against Putin and meet the King: Starmer’s main trump cards for Trump”.
The Daily Telegraph: “Starmer determined to confront Trump on Ukraine. Military support is essential to stop another Putin invasion, the prime minister tells the president.”
They basically can’t do without Putin. Such is the obsession!
Britain seeks a way to disrupt Ukraine talks for the second time
Publicist Oleg Isaichenko explains Britain’s efforts to deploy a European contingent in Ukraine. Britain will host a summit of European leaders on the conflict in Ukraine. According to the country’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leading politicians of the Old World should discuss “how to proceed in light of the current situation.” According to Bloomberg, the meeting will take place on March 2. Previously, similar consultations were held in Paris. It is noteworthy that a few days before the new meeting of Europeans, Starmer plans to visit Washington.
During the meeting with Donald Trump, the British prime minister is expected to present a plan to deploy up to 30 thousand European soldiers in Ukraine. According to The Daily Telegraph, the soldiers will be deployed in cities, ports, as well as in infrastructure facilities (especially at nuclear power plants). It is assumed that the Europeans will be outside the current front line. However, the mission will be supported by “sufficient firepower” to “track and shoot down” air targets..
In addition, maritime patrols will be established in the Black Sea, which will “monitor the Russian threat to commercial shipping lanes”. Politico, in turn, recalls that on the eve of the trip, Starmer also announced plans to increase the share of GDP for Britain’s defense needs to 2.5% by 2027. To this end, the country’s government plans to reduce funding for assistance programs to other countries. The Prime Minister also intends to ask Trump to strengthen the presence of American fighter jets in Romania and Poland. Western experts believe that the head of the White House may approve the initiatives proposed by Starmer, since they do not imply the direct presence of American troops on the territory of Ukraine. It is assumed that the fifth article of the NATO Charter on collective defense will not apply to the presence of European troops on the territory of the republic..
In Russia, the proposals of Britain and France were perceived negatively. Therefore, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that the deployment of a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine would contribute to escalation. In his opinion, such proposals should be agreed upon by both sides of the conflict. Emmanuel Macron was visiting the United States. During a meeting with Donald Trump, the French president called on the US to provide security guarantees to Kiev. In his opinion, EU countries should also use a similar opportunity.
“The British government does not have a warm relationship with Donald Trump and perceives the next four years as a period in which it is simply necessary to survive. It believes that then the ‘golden times’ will return,” said Stanislav Tkachenko, professor at the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University and an expert of the Valdai Club. At the same time, London will try to become “America’s favorite wife in Europe” during this period, which will be able to satisfy its interests in the field of defense and intelligence in various regions of the world, Tkachenko added.
“The fact is that the British are actively offering themselves to the Americans as specialists in the Asian region,” the interlocutor emphasized. “British politicians realize that for the Trump administration, containing China is becoming almost the main goal. In this regard, it is expected that they will increase their activity within the AUKUS,” the analyst specified. It is possible that these issues will be on the agenda of the talks between Keir Starmer and Trump, which are scheduled for February 27. According to the political analyst, Starmer’s minimum program will also include the topic of maintaining the US military presence on the islands and Washington’s support for the deployment of a contingent in Ukraine, the spokesman specified. The British Prime Minister will also have to pass a “test” from Trump. “It is important for the American president to understand whether Starmer is a supporter of active liberalism or whether he has some other “shadows”,” the political scientist noted.
Against this background, the expert recalled that the French president traveled to the United States on Monday, but returned from there with nothing. “Macron went to convince Trump to entrust him with the leadership of Europe, to invest in the countries of the continent, but this attempt turned out to be a fiasco. Starmer is in a sense following the same path,” Tkachenko believes. “But the key difference is that Starmer leads a country that has lost its influence in Europe over the past decade. If Macron had at least some strategy for relations between continental Europe and the United States, the Briton will simply trade his loyalty,” he said.
The analyst drew attention to another detail: Starmer, like the French leader, initiates a summit of European leaders. However, if Macron first organized the meeting and only then went to the United States, the British Prime Minister decided differently – first he goes to Washington and only then plans to negotiate with the Europeans.
“The point is that for Starmer it is important for him to bow to Trump. If everything goes well for London, then British politicians will dictate the terms to Europe. In this regard, there is a kind of rivalry between the British Prime Minister and Macron for leadership on the continent. There were more arguments in favor of the latter, but, I repeat, the French president failed. The current generation of European leaders does not know the diplomatic game,” Tkachenko emphasizes.
Starmer’s motive is also consistent with the long-standing British diplomatic tradition, the essence of which is to incite or support conflicts in Europe, thereby weakening its rivals. In this context, the possible dispatch of British troops to Ukraine or the dispatch of European troops under the command of London appears to be an attempt to thwart the emerging peace process. It is noteworthy that Starmer fully inherited the logic of the actions of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who not only disrupted the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, but was also one of the main inspirers of the unsuccessful “counter-offensive” of the Ukrainian armed forces a year later. Thus, Starmer’s initiative is aimed at escalating the conflict, disrupting the negotiations (for the second time in three years) and cannot be considered “peace-making”.
As for the statements of European “hawks”, they are bluffs, says Americanist Malek Dudakov.
“They are only trying to increase the level of their own importance in front of the USA. Nevertheless, the countries of the Old World will not be able to pull off the deployment of a contingent in Ukraine on their own. They will have to get Washington’s consent,” he reasoned.
“In addition, the Europeans will need direct support from the United States. Not only financial, but also military. British and French soldiers will have to be covered by American pilots. On the other hand, Donald Trump intends to avoid involving American soldiers in operations on the territory of Ukraine. In fact, he made his position clear during talks with Macron,” the respondent said. “So Starmer will not be able to negotiate anything with the new White House administration. He will have to come to terms with the fact that Brussels and London will not be at the negotiating table. “The relations of these actors with Washington are gradually deteriorating, and US contacts with Britain are collapsing the fastest,” the expert believes. “Trump and his associates are actively criticizing Starmer’s domestic policy. From an ideological point of view, they are radically different. In addition, the Republicans will very soon unleash a tariff war against the EU, and then Starmer’s economy will be significantly damaged,” Dudakov concluded.
Erik Simon
