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President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 15 that success “already feels possible” as his administration begins working on negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s team to end the war.
The Group of Seven (G7) countries agreed to link any future tightening of sanctions against Russia to the progress of upcoming peace negotiations, after a meeting on Feb. 15.
European leaders are set to gather in Paris on Feb. 17 for an emergency summit over concerns that the U.S. is advancing peace talks with Russia without Europe, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced on Feb. 15.
The U.S. has asked European countries to outline their potential security and peacekeeping contributions to Ukraine as part of any future peace negotiations with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 15, citing undisclosed sources.
U.S. President Donald Trump's phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin was a mistake, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied on Feb. 15 that Ukraine will participate in an upcoming meeting between Russia and the United States in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Christopher W. Smith visited Belarus alongside two other U.S. officials in an unannounced meeting on Feb. 12, the New York Times reported, potentially ending Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's isolation from the West.
Russian-controlled Transnistria has hosted Russian forces for decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian troops have guarded the region, stalling any attempts for reintegration with Moldova.
Senior U.S. officials are heading to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives, Politico reported on Feb. 15, citing a Republican lawmaker and two U.S. officials familiar with the meeting.
"Both sides expressed a mutual willingness to engage on key international issues, including the situation in Ukraine," the readout from the Russian Foreign Ministry read. "Lavrov and Rubio reaffirmed their readiness to work together to restore a mutually respectful interstate dialogue in line with the tone set by the presidents."
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, attended a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15 where he called for the the U.S. to implement additional sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet," while also calling for concessions from both countries to secure a peace deal.
Ukraine is not yet ready to sign a mineral resource agreement with the United States, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference at the Munich Security Conference, stating that the agreement "was not ready to protect" Ukraine and its interests.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kellogg mentioned the Minsk II deal of 2015, saying that it involved "a lot of people" but didn't work out.
Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevklur said that European allies are "in a very early stage" of developing the plan to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
"The signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent to open the Ukrainian 'Unity Hub' in Berlin is an important step to support our citizens abroad. This is a professional space that brings together community, business, and cultural initiatives," National Unity Minister Oleksii Chernyshov said.
"Let's be clear: We cannot rule out the possibility that America may refuse to cooperate with Europe on issues that threaten it," Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference.
Russian forces launched 70 drones from the Russian cities of Orel, Millerovo, and Primosk-Akhtarsk, as well as from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea, at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.