Day 418 since the beginning of the war: The US is concerned that Russia could use a tactical nuclear weapon. Poland and Ukraine have reached an agreement in the dispute over grain imports.
The most important things at a glance
USA worried: Putin could force escalation with nuclear weapons
11:32 p.m.: The US is urging its allies to watch out for signs of Russian nuclear weapons being used in Ukraine. “We have all observed and worried that Vladimir Putin might use what he considers to be a non-strategic tactical nuclear weapon (…),” said Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Putin could thus force an escalation with a controlled risk. “It is very important that we remain vigilant in this regard.”
Poland and Ukraine settle dispute over Ukrainian grain
7:49 p.m.: Poland and Ukraine have settled their dispute over imports of Ukrainian grain. As the Polish Minister of Agriculture Robert Telus said after a meeting with Ukrainian representatives on Tuesday, the import ban imposed by Warsaw is to be lifted and Ukrainian grain will be transported through Poland again from next Saturday. However, Warsaw and Kiev have agreed on “mechanisms” to ensure “that not a ton of grain remains in Poland,” Telus said.
Hungary and Poland announced on Saturday that they would no longer import grain and other food from Ukraine until the end of June. As a result of the Russian war of aggression, fewer agricultural products are exported from Ukraine by sea. Instead, a particularly large amount of grain from Ukraine reaches Poland and other neighboring European countries overland.
Although the agricultural goods are actually supposed to be exported to other countries, they often remain in neighboring Ukrainian countries, where silos are full and prices fall significantly. This in turn drives the peasants in Poland and Hungary to the barricades.
Germany has delivered Patriot air defense system to Ukraine
7:28 p.m.: To protect Ukraine from Russian air raids, Germany has delivered the Patriot air defense system promised in January. The federal government announced this in its list of arms deliveries to the country, which was updated on Tuesday. She had announced the delivery of the Patriot system in early January along with the delivery of Marder armored personnel carriers. The USA and the Netherlands have also promised Ukraine the Patriot system.
The Patriot system, manufactured by the US company Raytheon, is used to combat larger airborne targets such as aircraft, drones, missiles and cruise missiles. A Patriot battery can track up to 50 targets and engage five objects at once. According to the Bundeswehr, the range is around 68 kilometers.
In the face of massive Russian airstrikes, Ukraine urgently asked for the Patriot system last year. Germany has already supported Ukraine’s air defense by supplying Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and the modern Iris-T air defense system.
Poland installs surveillance system near Kaliningrad
7:31 p.m.: Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced on Tuesday that an electronic surveillance system would be installed on the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. “We will be able to monitor everything that happens at the border,” said Kaminski. Poland wants to install around 3,000 cameras and motion sensors along the 200-kilometer border, which is currently secured with barbed wire.
Electronic surveillance is intended to document and prevent illegal border crossings into Poland. In the past, Warsaw accused Russia and Belarus of illegally smuggling migrants to Poland via Kaliningrad. A five-meter-high border fence with a similar surveillance system already exists between Poland and Belarus, an ally of Moscow.
