The war in Ukraine enters a new phase. And NATO countries are gradually increasing their arms supplies to Kiev. In the course of this process, Western countries are quietly crossing the line they themselves drew at the beginning of the crisis regarding the exclusively defensive nature of the weapons they give the Ukrainian army..

But it remains an open question whether Russian retaliation will provoke a gradual increase in arms supplies and whether this can change events on the battlefield for Donbass, writes The Guardian.

“The question is how big will be the transition of the West to the supply of offensive weapons. It is also very important to ensure that the supply of critical military equipment continues and increases,” said former head of UK military intelligence Phil Osborne..

The publication recalls that in the first six weeks of the war, the Ukrainian army destroyed Russian columns of armored vehicles using light anti-tank missiles.. Due to poor Russian tactics and the determination of the Ukrainian forces, the invaders eventually abandoned their attacks against Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy..

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But Ukraine now has to deal with Russian troops in the east and south, where they have done well and are better entrenched.. Over the past day, it became known that the Czech Republic sent a dozen Soviet T-72s, as well as artillery howitzers and BMP-1. This marked a major shift towards offensive arms deliveries that Western politicians had previously rejected.. However, that won't help much.. After all, according to Oryx, the Ukrainian army lost 94 tanks in battle.. However, there are ongoing talks that Poland could transfer another 100 of these combat vehicles to Ukraine.. Since it signed an agreement on Wednesday to buy 250 Abrams tanks for $4.75 billion.

The next phase of the war, which may turn out to be decisive, will begin in the Donbass. Moscow seeks to seize Mariupol, connect Donetsk and Lugansk to Crimea on land, and cordon off the main Ukrainian forces resisting the Russian invasion.. The Guardian writes that this battle will unfold throughout April. Western intelligence officials are convinced that Vladimir Putin wants to achieve a success that could be declared before May 9. Therefore, it is very important that the West is ready to transfer to Ukraine now.

A dozen or two Czech tanks and four Bushmaster armored vehicles from Australia will not change anything.

“If we got everything we need, all these planes, tanks, artillery, anti-missile and anti-ship weapons, we would save thousands of lives,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently..

US announces it will send additional $100 million worth of Javelin anti-tank missiles. And that's on top of another $300 million equipment package that includes laser-guided missile systems called APKWS.. Usually they are armed with aircraft or drones.. However, these missiles can also be launched from the ground, which will help destroy Russian artillery.. Ukraine will also receive Switchblade 600 drones capable of hitting a target within a radius of 90 kilometers.. They are armed with the same anti-tank warheads as the Javelin.. These drones could replace the lost Turkish TB2 Bayraktar and give the Ukrainian army more options on the battlefield..

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Royal Joint Defense Research Institute (RUSI) expert Nick Reynolds said drones could help destroy "

Expanded supplies will definitely help Ukraine during the second phase of the Russian offensive. But, probably, only towards the end of April will a clearer picture of the new balance of power appear.. Without more tanks, it will be difficult for Ukraine to rescue Mariupol from the siege.

Meanwhile, the West's goals are becoming less clear. He is trying to help Ukraine get the Kremlin to the negotiating table or inflict a harder defeat at the risk of provoking the unpredictable Russian president.?

A Western official on Wednesday cautiously remarked that it would be much more difficult to expel Russian troops from Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea, given "

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech at the NATO summit, said that Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions, since the Ukrainian army has been resisting the Russian occupiers in unequal conditions for a month now.. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised that the alliance would provide Ukraine with weapons " He also recalled that the countries of the Alliance have been supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past few years.. According to him, this helped to make the Ukrainian army stronger..