02/02/2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:11 US Senate wants to put Ukraine package to vote +++
The US Senate wants to present a new draft aid package for Ukraine by the end of this week. The text may be published tomorrow, Saturday, but “no later than Sunday,” said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer added that he expects a first vote on the draft by Wednesday “at the latest.”
+++ 00:22 German Ambassador in Moscow: “Don’t miss the window of opportunity for negotiations” +++
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff sees it as one of his most important tasks as German ambassador in Moscow to bring Russia back to the negotiating table at the right moment. “I want to help ensure that we don’t miss the window of opportunity when Russia is ready to negotiate,” Lambsdorff told Stern magazine. And: “I would like to provide my government with clarity about Russia’s plans through information and good analysis.” However, Lambsdorff does not expect the war in Ukraine to end any time soon. “Putin believes that time is on his side, we have to prepare for a long confrontation,” said the diplomat, who has been ambassador to Moscow since August 2023.
+++ 23:33 Major fire in Russian fish factory +++
According to media reports, a fire at a fish processing factory in Murmansk, northern Russia, caused extensive material damage. The fire covered an area of 800 square meters and the roof partially collapsed, the state news agency Tass reported overnight. Nothing is yet known about the dead or injured. Videos on social networks show that the building was completely engulfed in flames. The causes of the fire are still unclear. According to the fire department, the source of the fire was located after several hours. According to official information, the factory mainly processed canned fish. Red caviar was also produced there. Murmansk is more than 1,400 kilometers from Moscow – north of the Arctic Circle. The foothills of the Gulf Stream ensure the city has an ice-free harbor all year round. The city is therefore also strategically important as a base for the Russian Northern Fleet.
+++ 22:46 Poland’s Prime Minister also praises Scholz: “Mood changed” +++
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks of a significantly changed mood in Berlin. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is very determined, says Tusk after the Ukraine summit in Brussels. Regarding Hungary, Tusk says that the united and uncompromising stance of the other EU states contributed to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s approval of billions in aid for Ukraine. “Nobody will look for half-hearted compromises.”
+++ 21:46 Zelenskyj praises Scholz for his “personal efforts” +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj expressed his special thanks to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the release of billions in EU aid for his country. “Dear Olaf, I am grateful for your personal efforts to make this decision a reality,” writes the Ukrainian head of state on to protect the security of the continent.
You can read all previous developments here.