Ukraine looks set for an increasingly drawnout war in its Donbas region with a lot more suffering to come. Lukashenko has obviously nailed his flag to the mast next to Putin while the US statement about not having concrete evidence for Russia using chemical warfare in Mariupol makes comments about "nothing being off the table" in terms of the West or NATO's response to their use empty rhetoric despite the clear evidence of other war crimes.

Meanwhile Macron is not going to have an easy time fighting Le Pen which won't bode well for Ukraine either. Le Pen almost certainly won't support further sanctions in terms of not buying Russian gas/oil and her right wing stance will not see her being overly critical of Putin. In the UK, both Johnson and Sunak have been found out ref Partygate. In itself, maybe not much to see, but the wider implications of a government leadership that thinks it can do as it likes whilst bringing in laws for others to adhere to cannot be ignored. The UK has been one of Zelensky's biggest supporters -and rightly so-but will this now deflect BJ's attentions? The government have a lot they need to focus on on the domestic front with so many facing financial hardship, but I equally hope that the support for Ukraine is not downgraded.

Worrying times ahead for Ukraine still and the West should ensure their resolve against Putin remains firm. As well as his interests in the Donbas, Putin is clearly also still after a land bridge to link up with Crimea and everything should be done to help Ukraine stop him from achieving this.