Leopard and pumpkins in Ukraine

Planting chili peppers again was in Andrei Kurkov's plans for this year.

The Ukrainian writer tells in his

that he also wanted to plant pumpkins in 2023 because "in Ukraine it is not possible not to have pumpkins in autumn."

But for the population to be able to return to those pleasures, to recover their everyday life, the war will have to be over, and the latest events suggest that this scenario is further and further away.

The Western allies' decision to send heavy weapons to kyiv is likely to change the course of the conflict.

It is not known if it will lengthen it or serve to force Putin to sit down and negotiate.

The Kremlin has said that this move takes the fight to another level and that Western tanks will "burn" in Ukraine.

Who thought that the war would last a year?

In a month the first anniversary will be fulfilled.

During this time, the allies have been lowering the threshold of what is tolerable.

A few months ago, they only agreed to send "non-lethal military equipment" to Ukraine.

This week, after much hesitation, they have opened their hands to the heaviest and most modern weapons, as demanded by President Zelenski.

Sending the tanks is assuming something devastating: the war is going on for a long time and the worst may be yet to come.

Ukrainian troops have not even started training in Germany to learn how to drive Leopards.

It will be months before the first Abrams, the American main battle tanks, arrive in Ukraine.

The biggest military operations by both armies are expected in the spring.

More information

Live last minute of the war in Ukraine

Europe is aware of the risks it runs by going on the offensive, which is why it has taken so long to decide.

First, because of the retaliation from Moscow, which has already started launching missile and drone attacks.

For Putin, the human, economic and political losses are still acceptable;

in fact, the Kremlin is using private mercenaries, the Wagners, as cannon fodder to break through.

In addition, the EU will have to deal with tensions between the partners that support Ukraine.

Which in turn are fueled by political and social pressure in each country, as is happening to Chancellor Scholz in Germany.

Stefan Zweig said that war cannot be harmonized with reason and the feeling of justice.

To end the conflict in Ukraine, there are those who believe that the only way is to force the Kremlin, defeat after defeat, to come to the table.

Volodimir Zelenski, when thanking the Western tanks, spoke these days of forming a "fist of freedom."

It is understandable that he uses such rhetoric when his country has been invaded and massacred, but Europe must act prudently to prevent the war from spilling over Ukraine's borders.

The strategy is to arm kyiv gradually to avoid inadvertent escalation, something all sides want to avoid.

@anafuentesf

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