Ukraine defence minister: We are a de facto member of Nato alliance

Ukraine has go a de facto subordinate of the Nato subject alliance, the Ukrainian defence curate says, arsenic Western countries - erstwhile acrophobic that subject assistance could beryllium seen arsenic an escalation by Russia - alteration their "thinking approach".

In an interrogation with the BBC, Oleksii Reznikov said helium was definite Ukraine would person long-sought weapons, including tanks and combatant jets, arsenic some Ukraine and Russia seemed to beryllium preparing for caller offensives successful the spring.

"This interest astir the adjacent level of escalation, for me, is immoderate benignant of protocol," Mr Reznikov said.

"Ukraine arsenic a country, and the equipped forces of Ukraine, became the subordinate of Nato. De facto, not de jure [by law]. Because we person weaponry, and the knowing of however to usage it."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed his penetration of Ukraine arsenic an existential conflict against Western countries that privation to weaken Russia.

Russian figures person argued they are warring Nato successful Ukraine, arsenic the West has supplied the state with weapons successful what they spot arsenic a warfare of aggression.

Ukraine, for years, has sought to articulation Nato, thing President Putin has described arsenic a information menace for Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for fast-track accession, but it is unclear whether afloat rank is thing the confederation members volition earnestly see adjacent aft the warfare is over, contempt pledges of support.

Mr Reznikov, however, denied that his comments would beryllium seen arsenic controversial, not lone by Russia but, perhaps, by Nato itself, arsenic the US-led alliance, though supportive of Ukraine, has taken steps to not beryllium seen arsenic a enactment to the conflict.

"Why [would it be] controversial? It's true. It's a fact," Mr Reznikov said. "I'm definite that successful the adjacent future, we'll became subordinate of Nato, de jure."

Nato is an confederation of the US and 29 European countries, formed aft World War Two. Article 5 of its pact says "an equipped onslaught against 1 oregon much of them successful Europe oregon North America shall beryllium considered an onslaught against them all".

He spoke successful the capital, Kyiv, arsenic Ukrainian and Russian forces continued to combat for the tiny municipality of Soledar, successful the eastbound Donetsk region, successful immoderate of the astir aggravated battles successful the astir 11-month-old war.

The Russian violative is led by the mercenary Wagner Group, whose laminitis Yevgeny Prigozhin, a long-time Putin ally, has go a vocal professional of the Russian army's show successful Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Mr Prigozhin claimed that his fighters had seized power of the town, an allegation that was dismissed by Ukraine and, remarkably, by the Kremlin, successful what was considered a rebuff to Mr Prigozhin.

The concern successful Soledar was "very difficult", Mr Reznikov said, but "under control". He said Wagner fighters were being utilized successful "wave aft question aft wave" of attacks, starring to a precocious fig of deaths, and that Mr Prigozhin was funny successful the imaginable economical benefits of seizing the town, location to Europe's largest brackish mines.

"They'll gain wealth from blood," helium said.

Soledar is astir 10km (six miles) from Bakhmut, a strategical metropolis wherever Ukrainian and Russian forces person been engaged successful a months-long warfare of attrition that has caused wide demolition and dense losses connected some sides. There, Wagner mercenaries person besides been deployed successful ample numbers, and Mr Prigozhin is believed to person made the seizure of Bakhmut a idiosyncratic goal.

The group, Mr Reznikov said, "need to present immoderate benignant of impervious to state they're amended than the regular equipped forces of the Russian Federation". If seized, Bakhmut could pave the mode for a Russian propulsion towards Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, 2 Ukrainian strongholds successful Donetsk, a portion that has been a cardinal people for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Any gains would be, much than thing else, of utmost symbolic worth for Russia. They would travel aft a bid of humiliating setbacks, including a chaotic retreat from the north-eastern portion of Kharkiv and the withdrawal from the confederate metropolis of Kherson, the lone determination superior Russian forces captured successful the war.

Mr Reznikov claimed that "approximately 500 oregon 600" Russian fighters were being killed each time crossed the country, portion Ukraine was losing a tenth of that, figures that could not beryllium independently verified. He believed Russia could beryllium trying to stitchery "forces, ammunition and weapons" for an violative from areas it already occupies successful the southbound and east.

Ukraine, successful the meantime, needed clip to regroup and rearm. "Spring is the champion play to refresh the question for each sides," helium said. "We recognize they'll beryllium acceptable to commencement and, surely, we person to beryllium acceptable to start."

However, helium did not repetition a assertion that Russia could beryllium preparing different penetration from Belarus, a informing that has been dismissed by the caput of the Ukrainian subject quality agency. The question from the north, Mr Reznikov said, "would instrumentality a batch of clip and they [Russia] person nary resources".

Mr Reznikov spoke a time aft the Russian defence ministry replaced the commandant of its forces successful Ukraine, a astonishment announcement that was seen arsenic a motion of a powerfulness struggle. Gen Valery Gerasimov, 1 of the architects of past year's invasion, would instrumentality to the station that was being held by Gen Sergei Surovikin, who had been appointed successful October.

The change, Mr Reznikov said, was a effect of the "conflict betwixt Mr Prigozhin and the equipped forces of the Russian Federation". Gen Surovikin oversaw the caller brutal attacks connected Ukraine's vigor infrastructure that, according to Mr Reznikov, "reduced the [Russian missile] stocks without immoderate results", repeating a Ukrainian assertion that "they're moving retired of missiles".

As Poland and Britain revealed plans to present conflict tanks for the archetypal time, Mr Reznikov said helium was definite Ukraine would person "tanks, warring aircrafts oregon jets, and long-range weaponry to deed targets successful 300km (186 miles) arsenic well."

He dismissed concerns that the announcements could trigger a Russian response. "I person a warfare successful my country," helium said. "They're hitting my cities, my hospital, my kindergartens, my schools. They killed a batch of civilians, a batch of civilians. They're an service of rapists, murderers and looters. What's the adjacent level of escalation?"