Europe casts off constraints to help Ukraine, as US cautiously wobbles

Putin warns France and Germany of ‘serious consequences’ as the pair claim Ukraine should be able to hit Russian military targets.

Europe began to throw off some of its self-imposed constraints on helping Ukraine militarily during the past week, as the United States remained cautious and Russia warned against actions that could cause “a World War” – an oft-repeated threat to use nuclear weapons.

On the ground, Ukraine arrested the Russian advance in its northern Kharkiv region, taking back some territory northeast of Lyptsi, and held the defence of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town on the eastern front.

Its Military Media Center said on Sunday it had killed or wounded 8,650 Russian soldiers in a week, the equivalent of 17 battalions, and destroyed 81 tanks and 153 armoured vehicles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian losses in Kharkiv were eight times Ukraine’s.

But he warned that new Russian offensive forces were building up in Belgorod, northwest of Kharkiv.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the toll and figures announced by Ukraine.