Key developments on Feb. 19: * Trump calls Zelensky 'dictator,' warns of Ukraine's demise without elections * Reported drone strike against Russian oil refinery in Samara Oblast causes fire * Ukraine refutes Putin's claims of Russian offensive from Kursk Oblast * North Korean troops in Russia reportedly told they're fighting South Korean forces
It could have been a tragic story costing British volunteer Edward Scott his life. As a humanitarian aid worker with the Ukrainian NGO "Baza" (the "Base" in Ukrainian), 28-year-old Scott has made multiple trips to the front-line areas to evacuate civilian Ukrainians. But the mission on Jan. 30 to the
Storm clouds are intensifying in Europe as Ukraine approaches the fourth year of the full-scale war with Russia. Initial hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration might adopt the "peace through strength" approach towards Moscow are beginning to unravel in light of recent statements from Washington. Both Trump
"The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president's mind by badmouthing him in public media — everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.
"We must act now to support Ukraine and boost Europe's security. No more talk shops — time for action," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X.
One of the captured North Korean soldiers admitted that he and his fellow soldiers believed they were fighting South Korean troops, which heightened their morale and aggression, South Korean newspaper Chosun Daily reported.
"A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast, or he won’t have a country left," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
President Vladimir Putin told Russian media on Feb. 18 that Russian forces had crossed into Ukrainian territory from Kursk Oblast, a claim General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi has dismissed as part of a disinformation campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Feb. 19 that he had been briefed on the outcome of U.S.-Russian talks in Riyadh, expressing willingness to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Prague and Warsaw are seeking to prepare a "rough version of the proposal," as the decision should be made later at the EU level, Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan told Czech news website Novinky on Feb. 18.
The following is the Feb. 18, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Ukraine's natural resources — We'll take them all please It all seemed to be going swimmingly at first. President
"The fact that they are discussing bilateral issues in Saudi Arabia is their right, but I believe that the U.S. helped Putin escape many years of isolation," Zelensky said during a press conference, adding that Ukraine is nevertheless "ready for anything."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured a group of European colleagues that sanctions would not be lifted earlier. The phone call took place on Feb. 18.
"We, the people of Ukraine, (provided) $120 billion, the U.S. and the EU — $200 billion. We are talking about arms, this is a weapons package worth $320 billion," President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv.
"Ukraine is ready for investment, provided that the occupied territories are liberated and natural resources are protected," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine understands that U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a 4% approval rating comes from Russia, Zelensky said during a press conference on Feb. 19.
The poll, carried out between Feb. 4 and 9, was published shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump alleged that Zelensky holds a "4% approval rating" without providing a source to back his claim.
The second line of the Ukrainian national anthem — “Fate/luck still smiles on us, fellow Ukrainians” — sadly no longer holds. Much worse, we should extend this retreat of luck to Europe itself: Fate/luck no longer smiles on us, fellow Europeans. The situation is now so serious that the same
European foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, Kallas said on X on Feb. 18.
Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 19.
Russia launched 167 Shahed-type drones and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight and launched two Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles against Sumy Oblast, the Air Force reported.
Residents posted videos on social media purportedly showing a large blaze at the refinery. Sounds of explosions were reported at around 2:45 a.m. local time.
This number includes 1,300 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Ukraine and Moldova have signed a memorandum of cooperation to strengthen their efforts toward European Union integration and accession, Ukraine’s government press service reported.
France will not send its soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a television interview on Feb. 18.
"We want to be part of conversations linked to more Canadians being involved in protecting Ukraine," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 18.
Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to occupy all of Ukraine and thinks he can outlast Ukraine and Europe in its armed aggression, unnamed intelligence officials said.
Trump alleged without evidence that Zelensky holds a "4% approval rating" in Ukraine and blamed his leadership, not Putin's, for "allow(ing) the war to go on."
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 18 that Russia was prepared to end the "barbarianism" in Ukraine.
Such a force could number in the tens of thousands, or even fewer — a number far below President Zelensky's suggestion of 100,000 to 150,000 peacekeepers.
U.S. and Russian officials reportedly insisted to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that they wanted to hold the meeting without Ukrainians.
The specter of nuclear war cast a long shadow over the 20th century, serving as a reminder of humanity's capacity for self-destruction. Now, as the world seems to shrug off Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling against Ukraine — and by extension, all of humanity — a haunting question calls for an answer: Have
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