Friday, February 28
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian volunteers who fled from Russian-occupied territories are making camouflage netting for the Ukrainian military on Feb. 27, 2025 in Dnipro. The nets are crafted in spring colors, as the volunteers do not expect a swift peace agreement with Russia. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Russia to lose ‘chance for world leadership’ if it doesn’t get out of war by 2026, Budanov says. “According to their (Russia’s) strategy, if they don’t get out of this war by 2026, they lose even a chance for world leadership. They will be left with a maximum level of regional leadership, which they are absolutely not satisfied with,” Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) head Kyrylo Budanov said.
Russia’s advance slows down in critical areas after Ukraine regrouped, Syrskyi says. Russian troops are actively pushing on the Novopavlivka sector in eastern Donetsk Oblast, trying to break through Ukraine’s defense and capture three settlements, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Future peacekeeping force may patrol air, sea space, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says. “If our partners and allies are ready to discuss the possible deployment of these contingents to ensure peace and security in Ukraine… then we think it is quite possible to talk about the safety of the sky,” Tykhyi said.
Russia claims to recapture village north of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. Russia’s Defense Ministry claims that its troops continue to advance and push Ukrainian forces out of the salient. Kyiv has not commented on purportedly lost settlements in Kursk Oblast.
Russian troops ’bogged down’ near Pokrovsk, Ukrainian military claims. “I am not saying that Ukrainian forces caught some second, third, or 100th and 500th breath… But Russian troops have indeed begun to show some physical, moral, and material exhaustion,” said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces.
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Zelensky invited to special EU summit on defense, Ukraine next week. The summit comes amid major shifts in U.S.-European relations, with U.S. President Donald Trump sending clear signals that it expects the continent to take a larger role in the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
First contacts with Trump administration ‘inspire certain hopes,’ Putin says. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that some Western countries are dissatisfied with the restoration of Russian-American relations and wants to “create instability in the world.”
US-Russia talks in Istanbul meant to ‘strengthen trust,’ first of many, Moscow says. “We expect that today’s meeting will be first in the series of similar expert consultations that will move us closer, together with the U.S., in overcoming disagreements and strengthening trust,” spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.
Trump says he ‘can’t believe’ he called Zelensky ‘dictator.’ “Did I say that? I can’t believe I would say that,” U.S. President Donald Trump responded when asked whether he still considers President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.”
General accused of botching Kharkiv defense released from detention facility, lawyer says. Lieutenant General Artur Horbenko, along with General Yurii Halushkin and Colonel Illia Lapin, was arrested on Jan. 21 on charges of mismanaging Ukraine’s defense in Kharkiv Oblast during Russia’s cross-border offensive in May 2024.
Read our exclusives
‘Trump likes what Putin does,’ Bernie Sanders says in exclusive interview
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders shares his concerns about Trump’s growing alignment with Russia and other authoritarian regimes, what a possible U.S.-Russia alliance would mean for the American people, and why defending Ukraine is crucial for the future of global democracy.
Photo: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What the US-Ukraine mineral deal actually means
Officials, experts, and those close to the deal say the current version of the agreement is an improvement to earlier drafts. But they caution this is just the first step to more negotiations rather than a concrete deal. And with no signatures yet on paper, things could change in the coming days.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
Military analyst Rob Lee discusses what awaits Ukraine in 2025
Going forward, many unpredictable factors hang over the next year of the war. Ukraine is trying to solidify its defense with new reforms, Russia faces questions over its ability to sustain its current rate of attacks and losses, while looming largest is the future of U.S. aid.
Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Is Trump a Russian asset? This US author is ‘completely certain’ he is
Craig Unger, an American journalist and writer who has written two books on Trump’s connections to Russia’s security services and the Russian mafia stretching all the way back to the 1980s, says he is “absolutely certain” that the U.S. president is a Russian asset.
Photo: Tetiana Dzhafarova and Alex Wroblewski/AFP
Human cost of Russia’s war
8 killed, 18 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day. Russia launched 166 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Ninety drones were shot down over 11 oblasts, while 72 decoy drones were lost without causing damage, according to the statement.
Opinions and insights
As ‘negotiations’ weigh Ukraine’s land, the lives lost under Russian occupation are forgotten
“Among its many methods of warfare, Russia chooses the most ruthless. As it captures Ukrainian cities and villages, it shows no regard for civilians,” writes Olesia Bida, a reporter with the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit.
Photo: Roman Pilipey/Getty Images
International response
Trump, Starmer meet as UK urges continued US support for Ukraine. The meeting took place ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled visit to Washington on Feb. 28, where he is set to sign a critical minerals agreement with the U.S.
‘If it doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all’ — Trump on peace in Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump said that steps towards a peace deal were “moving along pretty rapidly” and that he expected an agreement to be negotiated “fairly soon,” or not at all.
Trump extends some sanctions against Russia until 2026. The decision comes amid Trump’s renewed engagement with Russia, including talks on Feb. 18 on ending the war in Ukraine and the potential reopening of embassies in Washington and Moscow.
MH17 victims’ relatives want Russian admission of responsibility for crash to be part of peace deal, media reports. “Without this (Russia’s recognition of the downing of MH17), there can be no lasting peace with Russia,” the letter read.
France has led talks on Ukraine’s minerals since October 2024, French minister says. France and Ukraine have been discussing the use of Ukrainian minerals for the purposes of the French defense industry since October 2024, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, as France Info reported on Feb. 27.
Turkey considers sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly discussed the possibility with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Turkish imports of Russian oil drop nearly fourfold after new sanctions. Turkish imports of Russian oil plummeted in February in response to sweeping sanctions the U.S. and U.K. imposed on Russia’s oil sector in January.
Rutte announces NATO allies will provide Ukraine with billions more in aid. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has announced that alliance members are ramping up their defense investments and preparing additional financial support for Ukraine.
Russia seized boats, harassed volunteers, concealed gravesites ― Kakhovka Dam explosion investigation
In other news
EBRD lowers Ukraine’s 2025 growth forecast amid inflation, war impact. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its 2025 growth forecast for Ukraine’s economy, now expecting 3.5% growth instead of the previously projected 4.7%.
Culture Ministry to suspend issuing recommendation letters for journalists, artists to travel abroad. The measure, which will take effect on March 3, comes in response to cases in which men used their permits to stay abroad longer than permitted.
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