Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today, Monday, that the conflict between Moscow and the West is closer to a real war, criticizing the West for sending billions of dollars in weapons to Kyiv.

Lavrov added - during a press conference following a meeting with his South African counterpart during his visit to Pretoria - that his country is not against mediation over Ukraine, "but Kyiv is not interested in negotiations motivated by the West."

He also stressed that the longer the Ukrainian crisis lasts, the more difficult it will be to reach a solution to it, indicating that the United States and Western countries must realize that the approach of colonialism and the imposition of trusteeship has ended, as he put it.

The Russian State Duma Speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, had said earlier that supplying Ukraine with offensive weapons would lead to a global catastrophe, warning Western countries - led by the United States - that this trend would lead to retaliatory measures with stronger weapons.


Tank odds

These statements by Russian officials coincide with the continuing ambiguity about Germany's efforts to supply Kyiv with "Leopard" tanks, as German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that his country will soon make a decision regarding sending these tanks to Ukraine.

On the other hand, the German Foreign Minister said that Berlin would not object to Poland sending tanks to the Ukrainians if it decided to do so, but the final decision on this issue belongs to German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, who has so far refused to comment on the issue of indirect deliveries of these tanks.

The German government is under increasing pressure to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks that could have a significant impact on the battlefield against Russian forces.

Poland and Finland have offered to hand over Leopard tanks from their holdings, but they need formal approval from Berlin to re-export them.

Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrei Yusov said that his country will receive Leopard 2 tanks, that negotiations are currently underway in this regard, and that his country has made great progress in obtaining this type of military assistance.

He said that although there was no public decision on the transfer of the tanks, Ukraine would get them.


General mobilization

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there is an ongoing mobilization in Ukraine to support combat capabilities on various fronts.

During his meeting with students of Shevchenko University, accompanied by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Zelensky reiterated that his country would like to obtain a clear answer from Germany regarding supplying it with Leopard 2 tanks.

He added - during an interview with the German "ARD" channel - that Berlin's decision in this regard is incorrect and not serious, indicating that his country wants to obtain air defense systems and long-range missiles to repel Russian attacks.


bombing and battles

On the ground, Al-Jazeera correspondent in Donetsk province, southeastern Ukraine, said that a series of explosions rocked several cities, most notably Kramatorsk and Drushkivka.

The governor of the Ukrainian province of Donetsk also announced that a number of people were injured as a result of Russian bombing in areas in the south of the province, most notably Korakhova and Vohlodar.

For its part, the Ukrainian Reconnaissance Operations Command on the Bakhmut and Solidar fronts said that the Ukrainian forces fought what they called sensitive battles in the town of "Obtineh" southeast of Bakhmut, and broadcast pictures showing the targeting of Russian forces on those fronts.

In contrast, the pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk said they had taken control of two new towns in the Bakhmut axis.

In Kherson, pro-Russians said that the Ukrainian army had shelled Russian-controlled residential areas in the province with artillery.

The authorities added that the artillery shelling targeted the cities of Alyoshka and Novaya Kakhovka, and damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

She pointed out that the emergency services are working to determine the size of the human and material losses as a result of the Ukrainian bombing.