Putin confidant Medvedev threatens openly again.
Meanwhile, new sanctions against Russia come into effect.
News ticker.
New
sanctions
against
Putin
: EU stops oil imports from Russia
"Retaliatory strikes"
against
Ukraine
: Kiev reacts calmly to Medvedev's threats
Medvedev
threatens
nuclear weapons
: Response to Ukrainian attack will be "quick, tough and convincing".
This
news ticker on negotiations and diplomacy in the Ukraine war
is constantly updated.
Update from February 5, 9:29 a.m
.: Kiev is not allowed to use weapons received from the West on Russian territory - "there is a consensus on that," Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed now in response to a question from
Bild am Sonntag (BamS)
.
He had agreed on this with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
The SPD politician rejected the Kremlin chief's statement that German tanks would again threaten Russia with the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks: Vladimir Putin's words "are part of a series of abstruse historical comparisons that he uses to base his attack on the to justify Ukraine”.
So far, Putin has not made any threats against Germany, Scholz added.
He "neither threatened me nor Germany".
Britain's ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously said Putin threatened him with a missile attack over the phone.
New sanctions against Putin: EU stops oil imports from Russia
Update from February 5, 7:19 a.m
.: Economically, the West is opening a new front against Russia: the new oil sanctions will come into force from this Sunday (February 5).
The EU will then no longer buy Russian oil products.
In addition, a price cap on oil products such as diesel or heating oil will apply from this point in time.
This is intended to reduce the Kremlin's income for further warfare.
"This decision will further cut Russia's revenues and limit its ability to wage war in Ukraine," the European Commission said on Saturday.
At the beginning of December, the EU, the G7 and Australia imposed a cap on Russian crude oil of 60 dollars per barrel.
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Recording from February 2nd: Vladimir Putin in Volgograd
© Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP
Update from February 4, 8:45 p.m .:
Ukraine wants to join the EU in a fast-track procedure.
Lithuanian EU politician Andryus Kubilyus has now predicted that Ukraine will join the EU in 2029 if accession talks actually start this year.
"According to our calculations and the documents of the European Parliament, all negotiations and the ratification process could be completed by the end of this decade if the talks start this year," Kubilyus told Ukrainian channel Espreso TV.
He also warned against dragging out Ukraine's accession process "for several decades".
Ukraine-News: Kyiv reacts calmly to Medvedev's threats
Update from February 4, 6:30 p.m .:
The former Russian President and close confidante of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, had threatened Ukraine with “retaliation” in the event of an advance against Crimea.
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhailo Podoljak is now responding to Medvedev's threat on Twitter.
"International law is clear, Ukraine can liberate its territories by any means," the diplomat wrote.
Therefore, Russian threats of retaliatory strikes are "only a confirmation of intent to commit mass murder and an attempt to instill fear in traditional Russian style."
Podoliak called for ignoring Medvedev's statements.
Ukraine-News: Talks concluded on delivery of SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system
Update February 4, 3:59 p.m.:
The defense ministers of France and Italy have concluded talks on the delivery of SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system to Ukraine.
In a statement, the parties concluded: "The delivery of this system meets the urgency formulated by the Ukrainian Defense Minister." It is the best long-range defense system in France and Italy.
In addition, Thales GM200 radar systems are to come, as the American news channel CNN reports on possible arms deliveries in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine-News: Federal government is waiting for concrete delivery information from partners
Update from February 4, 2:34 p.m .:
After its decision to deliver modern Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks to Ukraine, the federal government is still waiting for concrete participation from partner countries.
While there are already announcements for the older Leopard model 2A4, the supply situation for the newer type 2A6 is thin, as government circles in Berlin said on Saturday.
Der
Spiegel
reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had made several phone calls to persuade heads of government to agree to delivery.
According to Spiegel
information, no EU country wanted to make any concrete commitments about participating in the tank package
at a video conference to which Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had invited last week .
Even the Dutch government, which, like Poland, had already promised to supply Leopard 2 tanks in the media, did not want to commit itself.
However, several states have made public commitments.
Ukraine News: Medvedev threatens Ukraine with “quick, tough answer”
First report from February 4:
Moscow - Putin's henchman Dmitry Medvedev has threatened Ukraine with a harsh reaction should there be an attack on Russian territory - including the annexed Crimea - in the course of the Ukraine war.
In a statement released by the Russian news agency Tass, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council said: "I can assure you that the answer will be quick, tough and convincing."
Russia has no limits as to the nature of the response, Medvedev continued to threaten, and could use any type of weapon "in accordance with our doctrines, including the basic principles of nuclear deterrence." He said this in agreement with President Vladimir Putin, who said this also declared "decided".
Russia's ex-president Medvedev threatens Ukraine with nuclear weapons
It is not the first time that Medvedev has more or less openly threatened nuclear weapons.
The former Russian president has also threatened the West with retaliatory strikes.
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Russia's ex-president Dmitry Medvedev.
© Artyom Geodakyan/Imago
Analysts: Putin deliberately spreads news about Ukrainian attacks on Russia
The Kremlin has been trying for some time to focus on the danger of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, the analysts of the "Institute for the Study on War" noted a few days ago.
Putin wants to portray Ukraine as an existential threat to Russia in order to strengthen domestic support for the Ukraine war.
In addition, Russia may want to get Ukraine to withdraw some of its soldiers to border regions.
A new major offensive should meet a less united Ukrainian army.
Ukraine-News: Putin issues decree - terror alert possible for an unlimited time
A decree issued earlier this week by Putin, who according to a Russia expert could fear a coup, also fits this picture: It allows governors to issue a terror alert for their region for an unlimited period of time.
All Russian border regions have since done so - most recently the Belgorod region on Saturday (February 4) after an alleged Ukrainian shelling of a Russian factory.
(smu with material from dpa)
List of rubrics: © Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP