Ukraine demands fighter jets from the West for the war against Russia.
Scholz and his Vice Chancellor Habeck are against it.
The news ticker.
Raids
in
Ukraine
: Searches at oligarch and former interior minister
In the
Ukraine war
for
a dollar
: US group is said to have offered Ukraine two drones
Up to 140
main battle tanks
for
Ukraine
: Twelve countries want to deliver for the fight against Russia
This
news ticker on negotiations and diplomacy in the Ukraine war
is constantly updated.
Update from February 1, 6:30 p.m
.: Russia once again comments on arms deliveries to Ukraine.
For example, Moscow criticized the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had not ruled out the delivery of combat aircraft to Ukraine.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called it "absurd" on Wednesday that the French head of state could think that such a delivery would "not lead to an escalation of the situation".
Such statements would only fuel the "already insatiable appetite" of the Kiev leadership under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zakharova also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against supplying arms to Ukraine.
These would constitute "legitimate targets for Russian forces."
In addition, everyone must know that deliveries “lead to an escalation of this crisis”.
Macron said on a visit to The Hague on Monday that “in principle” “nothing is forbidden”.
At the same time, he warned of the risk of an escalation and named a number of "criteria" that would have to be met for a delivery of French fighter jets.
Netanyahu told CNN on Tuesday that he was considering military aid to Ukraine.
At the same time he offered himself as a possible mediator - if Kyiv, Moscow and Washington would ask him to do so.
Update from February 1, 4:55 p.m .:
In the meeting with Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal emphasized that Kiev’s priority is currently the creation of a “tank coalition” for the Ukrainian military.
"We are counting on Germany's leadership role," he wrote in the short message service.
Many goals since their last meeting in Berlin have already been met.
Now we are trying to find other goals.
He also thanked Berlin for the weapons provided.
In addition, they also talked about the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Ukraine news: Merz criticizes Scholz's communication
Update from February 1, 4:25 p.m .:
CDU leader Friedrich Merz accuses Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of failed communication in relation to the Ukraine war.
“The Chancellor is difficult to understand.
He owes a lot of explanations to the public, just like last week," Merz told the news portal
ntv
.
He was referring to the decision made public last week that Germany would deliver 14 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
"You don't have to say what you think every day in politics, that's right," Merz explained.
"But on such a crucial issue, you have to find communication, both internally and externally, that people understand." He himself "still doesn't understand Olaf Scholz's Ukraine policy," said the CDU chairman.
"He leaves many things unclear there as well."
Ukraine-News: Lavrov's spokeswoman threatens West – "will not go unanswered"
Update from February 1, 3:05 p.m .:
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova threatened the West with an answer to the possible confiscation of Russian assets.
"Attacks on Russian property and assets are considered robbery and will not go unanswered," she said, according to state agency Tass.
There is no legal basis for the confiscation, said Zakharova.
Ukraine News: Duda is already making plans for the post-war period
Update from February 1, 1:11 p.m
.: Poland’s President is apparently already drafting plans for the time after the Ukraine war.
According to one report, according to his own statements, he suggested the following to Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "If you have defeated Russia, if the Russians are on their knees begging for peace, let them sign a peace treaty in Pereyaslav."
This was reported by the Polish news
magazine Wprost
.
Pereyaslav is a small Ukrainian town near Kyiv.
There, in 1654, the notorious Treaty of Pereyaslav was concluded, which "reunited" the Moscow Tsarist Empire with the "Little Russia" of the Cossacks.
+
Andrzej Duda (left) and Volodymyr Zelenskyj (archive photo)
© Jakub Szymczuk/KPRP/PAP/dpa
Raids in Ukraine: Searches at oligarch and former interior minister
Update from February 1, 12:39 p.m
.: In Ukraine, state investigators have apparently carried out house searches on oligarch Ihor Kolomojskyj and ex-Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
According to media reports, Kolomojskyj is dealing with "embezzlement of petroleum products" worth the equivalent of 930 million euros.
In the case of Awakow, the recent crash of a helicopter with its successor on board is said to have triggered the investigation.
The raids have not yet been officially confirmed.
In the Ukraine war for one dollar: US group is said to have offered Kyiv two drones
Update from February 1, 11:47 a.m
.: A US company is said to be offering Ukraine two of its drones for just one US dollar – but the deal would not be as cheap as it sounds.
As the
Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
reports, General Atomics CEO Linden Blue justified the offer with the expected Russian spring offensive.
However, Kyiv would have to spend about 10 million US dollars to transport the MQ-9 Reaper drones;
annual maintenance costs about $8 million, the report said.
According to
Ukrayinska Pravda
, neither the White House nor the Ukrainian government wanted to comment on the report.
Ukraine war: New debate about joining NATO
Update from February 1, 11:01 a.m
.: The new Czech President Petr Pavel has positioned himself on Ukraine’s possible NATO membership.
The country should join the defense alliance "as soon as the war is over," he told the British broadcaster
BBC
.
Ex-NATO general Pavel also said that the West should set “virtually no limits” on military aid to Kyiv.
Ukraine war: Israel could also soon deliver weapons
Update from February 1, 8:01 a.m
.: The statements come after a long hesitation – and he did not make any concrete commitments: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now probably considering military aid for Ukraine.
Asked about a possible, for example, the Iron Dome missile defense system, he told CNN on Tuesday (January 31): "Well, I'm thinking about it."
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
At the same time, Netanyahu offered himself as a possible mediator – if the warring parties and the USA asked him to.
They had previously put pressure on Israel to actively support Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Netanyahu on Monday.
Blinken's long-planned visit to the Middle East is also an expression of efforts to quickly ease relations with Netanyahu.
Update from February 1, 7:39 a.m
.: "We expect news for Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelenskyj before the EU-Ukraine summit.
The upcoming meeting proves the "high level of cooperation and progress" in the cooperation of both sides.
US President Joe Biden meanwhile announced new talks with the Ukrainian President.
War in Ukraine: Habeck defends refusal to deliver fighter jets
Update from February 1, 6:12 a.m
.: Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has spoken out against the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine.
In the recent ZDF program "Markus Lanz", the Green politician spoke of a "balancing act" between "maximum support" for Ukraine, without Germany itself becoming a war party.
"And of course it's not entirely clear where the line goes there."
According to Habeck, from what he knows, Ukraine needs the maintenance of the West for modern Western fighter jets, which could then "probably" go a step too far.
It is right to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine.
"But there is a difference between war tanks and fighter jets."
Ukraine war: Ukrainian Prime Minister confirms appointment on Friday
Update from January 31, 8:58 p.m .:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal confirmed an EU-Ukraine summit on Friday in Kiev.
The meeting will “take place in Kyiv on February 3,” Schmyhal said at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The summit is "extremely important" for Kiev's bid for Ukraine to join the EU, which has officially been a candidate for accession to the Union since 2022.
Ukraine war: US President Biden announces talks with Selenskyj
Update from January 31, 8:15 p.m .:
Against the background of Ukrainian demands for Western fighter jets, US President Joe Biden has announced talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
"We will talk," Biden said on Tuesday after denying his willingness to deliver fighter jets the day before.
The Polish Ministry of Defense said that the delivery of F-16 jets to Kyiv is currently "not an issue".
US accuses Russia of non-compliance with nuclear agreements: talks canceled, controls suspended
Update from January 31, 7:32 p.m .:
The United States has accused Russia of non-compliance with the New Start nuclear weapons control treaty.
The US State Department accused the government in Moscow on Tuesday of suspending inspections and canceling planned arms control talks.
Washington, on the other hand, does not accuse Moscow of having increased the number of nuclear warheads beyond the permissible upper limit.
After Merkel's statement, Putin spokesman railed against the West: Minsk agreement only "privacy protection"
Update from January 31, 5:24 p.m .:
Greece will not deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine because of tensions with Turkey.
This was announced by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as reported by Greek state television.
"We will not give Leopard-2s for the simple reason that they are absolutely necessary to our defense strategy," Mitsotakis said.
Relations between Greece and Turkey are currently going through a very tense phase due to a dispute over sovereign rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Update from January 31, 5:15 p.m .:
After his “no” to the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, US President Biden wants to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj again about arms deliveries.
"We'll talk," Biden said today.
On Monday (January 30), when asked whether the United States would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the US President replied with a curt "no".
Putin's spokesman grumbles about Baltic neighbors: "Think little about the consequences"
Update from January 31, 4:43 p.m .:
Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has sharply criticized the fact that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has demanded further western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The Baltic states and Poland are doing everything to provoke another confrontation between Russia and the "collective West," Peskov said, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
"But they don't think much about the consequences."
Up to 140 main battle tanks for Ukraine: Twelve countries want to deliver
Update from January 31, 3:40 p.m .:
In the next few months, Ukraine expects 120 to 140 modern Western Leopard 2, Challenger 2 and M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
"There are currently twelve participants in the tank coalition," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a video message on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old cannot currently name all the participating states, as some still have to go through formal procedures.
Kyiv is also very much hoping for French Leclerc tanks and larger deliveries from countries that are already involved.
"The armed forces must be given all types of weapons they need to defend and restore the territorial integrity of our state," Kuleba stressed.
Ukraine-News: No examination of the available Bundeswehr stocks by Lambrecht
Update from January 31, 3:11 p.m .:
Despite months of calls from home and abroad to deliver battle tanks and armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht did not check the available Bundeswehr stocks throughout 2022.
According to a report in the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, this is the result of a reply from the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Defense Ministry, Siemtje Möller (SPD), to the CDU MP Nicolas Zippelius.
After the resignation of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), her successor Boris Pistorius (SPD) ordered an examination of the deliverable stocks as one of his first official acts.
After Merkel's statement, Putin spokesman railed against the West: Minsk agreement only "privacy protection"
Update from January 31, 2:05 p.m .:
From Russia’s point of view, Germany, France and Ukraine have long been working towards a military escalation in the Donbass.
This was shown by recent statements on the conflict, said Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Russia therefore sees its decision to invade Ukraine confirmed.
According to Peskov, Putin did everything right with his “special military operation”.
Most recently, ex-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko explained in a BBC documentary that the Minsk Agreement, which was intended to resolve the conflict in the east, gave Ukraine time to build a powerful army.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously defended her policy towards Russia and said in an interview that the agreement had bought Ukraine time.
The Russian leadership has repeatedly interpreted such statements as meaning that Ukraine was being specifically armed for war.
Ukraine turn to fighter jets?
Kiev's Defense Minister today with Macron
Update from January 31, 12:32 p.m .:
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksey Resnikov wants to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris today.
The two politicians want to discuss the delivery of F-16 fighter jets in the Ukraine war.
This is reported by the US newspaper
The Guardian
.
Update from January 31, 12:12 p.m
.: According to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, the West should keep all options open for arms deliveries in the Ukraine war.
"These red lines must be crossed," he said of reservations about supplying fighter jets and longer-range missiles to Ukraine.
These weapon systems are an "indispensable military aid," said Nauseda in an interview on Lithuanian television.
"At this crucial time in the war, when the tipping point is near, it is important that we act immediately."
Nauseda pointed out that some red lines had already been crossed in the Ukraine war.
"After the outbreak of war, Germany initially categorically stated that it would only send vests, helmets and the like, and not weapons at all," he said, adding: "Ukraine's EU candidate status was also once taboo."
First report: New sounds from the Ukraine: German fighter jets for Kyiv are currently not a priority
First report from January 31:
Kiev – The main battle tank question in the Ukraine war has hardly been resolved when a controversial debate is already underway about possible fighter jet deliveries to the war zone.
Among others, the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Melnyk initiated the discussion immediately after the promise of Leopard 2 tanks.
The Ukrainian government is now taking a different stance: "We have not yet asked Germany for fighter jets," said the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, to
Deutsche Welle
.
Whether such an official request would still come depends on further developments at the front.
However, he does not currently see German fighter jets as a priority, the diplomat continued.
War in Ukraine: Fighter jets protect infrastructure from Russian attacks
On the subject of fighter jets, Makeiev also stressed that "all fighter jets are important because they are part of our efforts to shoot down Russian missiles."
They are "part of our air defense efforts" to protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from attacks.
On Monday (January 30), US President Joe Biden rejected the delivery of F-16 fighter jets desired by Ukraine with a clear “no”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also quickly put a stop to this: he made it clear that a delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine is currently impossible.
(smu/dpa)
List of rubrics: © Jakub Szymczuk/KPRP/PAP/dpa
