Russia warns US of "unpredictable consequences" - and sends protest notes over Ukraine weapons

Created: 04/16/2022, 04:51

By: Cindy Boden

The CIA is “concerned”: Will Russia ever use smaller nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war?

In a letter, Moscow puts pressure on the United States.

News ticker on negotiations.

• Ukraine conflict

  *: Russia warns the USA in a letter about further

  arms deliveries

  .

• NATO accession

  : Moscow threatens Finland and Sweden with

  "consequences"

  .

• Putin's

  next step?

  The

  CIA

  warns of a possible Russian use of

  smaller nuclear weapons.

• This

  news ticker on negotiations in the Ukraine war and diplomatic efforts

  is continuously updated.

Update from April 15, 11:18 p.m .:

Now there is an official confirmation: Russia has sent protest notes to several western countries because of arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The United States was among them, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Friday, according to the Interfax agency.

According to the

, Moscow warned in the letter that such deliveries could have "unpredictable consequences".

Update from April 15, 7:51 p.m .:

In view of the Ukraine war, Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad compared Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler.

Putin is "on a par with Hitler," said the 41-year-old according to a

report that was picked up by Slovakian media on Friday.

He must be stopped before he can move further west.

"Ukraine is literally fighting for our future," Nad said.

Slovakia has donated an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to its neighbor.

Since the war began on February 24, more than 330,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border.

Meanwhile, Swedish military experts have reacted coolly to Russian threats in the event of NATO accession.

Russia diplomacy: Kremlin expels 18 EU representatives from the country

Update from April 15, 7.45 p.m .:

Russia has expelled 18 members of the EU representation in Moscow from the country.

The EU staff had been declared "undesirable persons" and would have to "leave Russia in the near future," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

As the Foreign Ministry in Moscow also announced, the head of the EU mission in Russia, Markus Ederer, was summoned.

Moscow's criticism of the expulsion of 19 members of the Russian representation to the European Union at the beginning of April was to be presented.

The EU called the expulsions “unjustified”.

"There are no reasons for the decision of the Russian authorities on Friday that go beyond pure retaliation," said the EU diplomatic service in Brussels.

"The approach chosen by Russia will further deepen its international isolation." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had declared 19 Russian representatives to the EU "undesirables".

Borrell cited “illegal” and “disruptive” actions by the Russian mission to the EU as justification.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Putin letter to USA - warning of "unforeseeable consequences"

Update from April 15, 2:25 p.m .:

Russia has warned the United States against further arming Ukraine.

According to the

, Russia this week sent a diplomatic letter to the United States warning that

. "

The newspaper has a copy of the message.

At that point, the US announced it would supply Ukraine with up to $800 million in additional arms and ammunition.

The State Department declined to comment on the content of the message, it said.

Joe Biden (right), now US President, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in 2016. © Saul Loeb/AFP

Ukraine negotiations: Russia warns Finland and Sweden of "consequences" if they join NATO

Update from April 15, 12:45 p.m .:

Russia has again warned Finland and Sweden of the “consequences” of a possible NATO membership.

Helsinki and Stockholm must

said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Friday.

Also, membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO "probably will not contribute to strengthening (their) international reputation," said the spokeswoman.

The two countries' non-aligned policies provide "a reliable level of security," while membership of a military alliance "is incapable of strengthening their national security."

Both countries would "automatically find themselves on the NATO front."

Meanwhile, speculation about the state of health of the Russian defense minister does not stop: an ex-oligarch claims that he had a heart attack that was not of natural origin*.

Putin's next step?

CIA concerned about use of 'tactical nuclear weapons'

First report:

Kiev/Moscow – Little is currently publicly known about the status of the negotiations in the Ukraine war*.

Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer recently met Vladimir Putin in person and at least shared his impression: Despite the explosive situation, both sides kept the door to negotiations a crack open.

But the tone is also becoming much rougher internationally.

US President Joe Biden * accused Russia's president of "genocide" in Ukraine.

Finland's and Sweden's considerations of joining NATO in turn infuriated Russia.

Even nuclear weapons were repeatedly brought up verbally.

Ukraine negotiations: threat of nuclear weapons use?

CIA warns

And nuclear weapons do not only play a role with regard to the situation in the Baltic States: The US secret service CIA warned that Russia could use smaller nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.

Faced with "possible desperation" over military "backlash," Vladimir Putin* could order the use of "tactical or short-range nuclear weapons," CIA Director William Burns said Thursday (April 14).

"Obviously we are very concerned," said Burns, while stressing that there is "not a lot of practical evidence" of preparations to use such weapons.

The image released by the Russian state news agency Sputnik via AP shows Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, giving a speech in a rocket assembly hall during his visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome (archive image) © Evgeny Biyatov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa

Russia has an arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons with lower yields than the bombs dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

There is a principle of “escalate to de-escalate” in Russian military doctrine, which calls for a first strike with a low-yield nuclear weapon if Russia falls behind in a conflict with the West.

The hope behind this would be that the other side would withdraw after this signal in order to avoid mutual complete annihilation in a nuclear war with large, strategic nuclear bombs.

When is killing in war a crime?

provides the answer here*.

Ukraine negotiations: Sweden's and Finland's possible NATO membership heats up the situation

Because of the Ukraine war, Finland and Sweden are considering quickly joining the western defense alliance NATO.

Ex-Russian President Medvedev reacted angrily to this.

"In this case, there can no longer be any talk of a nuclear-weapon-free status for the Baltic States," wrote Putin's confidant on Telegram.

Specifically, he threatened to station "Iskander" missiles, hypersonic weapons and warships with nuclear weapons.

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, however, called the threat "an empty shot in the air" because Russia had already transferred nuclear weapons to its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock insisted on the free decision-making rights of Sweden and Finland.

"It is the right of every country (...) to freely choose its defense alliances," she said on Thursday during a visit to Niger.

This applies all the more to two European countries that are already members of the European Union.

"If Finland and Sweden decide to do so, then they are very welcome" in the defense alliance, said Baerbock.

You can read more about Germany's reactions to the Ukraine war in our news ticker.