News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to visit Ukraine in a phone call on Feb. 27, amid a row between Kyiv, Budapest, and Bratislava over a key oil pipeline.

As peace talks continue and the U.S. pushes for compromise, one proposal keeps returning: Ukraine should withdraw from the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast to end the war. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains why the Battle of Donbas remains at the center of the peace process.

Zelensky added that diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran remain the preferred way forward, according to a Sky News interview.

Rishi Sunak took up an unpaid role as a member of Ukraine's International Advisory Council for the Economic Renewal of Ukraine, according to documents released on Feb. 27 by the U.K.'s independent advisor on ministerial standards.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.

A total of 13 Russian regions raised the alarm in the afternoon, eight of which did so for the first time over the full-scale war.

Flames burned through 5,000 square meters of the factory, and nearly a month after the Jan. 30 attack, the company is still assessing the full extent of the damage.

"Demining activities are ongoing to ensure safe access for the repair teams," said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

The Trypillia Thermal Power Plant, the main power supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts, was destroyed in a Russian strike in the spring of 2024.

According to Zelensky, the U.S. has the power to bring the war to an end but only by exerting stronger pressure on Putin through sanctions and supplies of advanced weapons to Ukraine.