The Belarusian company Agroproduct has been using raw materials from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast to produce rapeseed oil, which it then exported to the European Union.
Oil prices remained near a one-week high on Feb. 19 as concerns over supply disruptions in Russia and the U.S. continued to drive the market.
"We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to provide American military backing for a proposed European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, arguing that only a U.S. security guarantee can deter Russia from launching further aggression.
Speaking to journalists in Brussels on Feb. 17, U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg confirmed his travel plans, saying he would first head to Warsaw on the following day before taking a night train to Kyiv.
U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed that Zelensky would have a say in the process and mentioned the possibility of allowing European nations to purchase U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on Feb. 16. that he did not take lightly the idea of placing British servicemen and women in harm’s way. "But any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country," he added.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has emphasized that Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and NATO is non-negotiable, adding that these alliances are essential for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and security.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 14 that it would be "very, very, very difficult" for Ukraine to sustain its fight against Russia and remain secure in the long term without American support.
A 28-year-old U.S. citizen was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after Russian authorities allegedly found food items containing cannabis derivatives in his luggage.
"All the children were separated from their families due to the war and occupation, and some lost their parents," Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Feb. 14.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced criticism from Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker after suggesting that Ukraine’s return to its pre-war borders was unrealistic. "He made a rookie mistake in Brussels, and he’s walked back some of what he said but not that line," Wicker said.
Oil prices dropped more than 2% on Feb. 12 after U.S. President Donald Trump took a significant step toward ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has contributed to higher oil prices due to concerns over global supply disruptions.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. said on Feb. 12 that "to prevent Putin from dining in Kyiv, we need to mobilize the bipartisan Congressional coalition standing with Ukraine."
In 2024, Russia’s total defense expenditures surged by 42% in real terms, reaching 13.1 trillion rubles. When adjusted for purchasing power parity—which accounts for differences in what money can buy in different countries—this amounts to $462 billion.
"We'll meet in Saudi Arabia," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House following his conversation with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The project seeks to enhance combat effectiveness by expanding the use of drones within elite units of the Ground Forces and the State Border Guard Service.
The tanker, built in 2023 and sailing under the Antigua and Barbuda flag, had arrived at Ust-Luga on Feb. 6, according to ship-tracking data from Vesselfinder. Russia’s Baza Telegram channel reported that the vessel was carrying 130,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.
"Yes, shut them down. Europe is free now (not counting stifling bureaucracy). Nobody listens to them anymore. It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money," Musk wrote.
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said his country is willing to maintain stable relations with the U.S. administration but emphasized that Washington has yet to take concrete steps toward resuming arms control discussions.
The damage comes amid a series of recent disruptions to undersea telecom and power cables in the Baltic Sea. Western experts and officials have accused Russia of engaging in hybrid warfare against countries supporting Ukraine.
Speaking at a televised meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Feb. 7, Putin noted that consumer prices in Russia rose by 9.5% in 2024 and have climbed further to 9.9% year-on-year this month.
The number of sanctioned vessels has now reached 265, with U.S. blacklisting proving to be the most disruptive. Of the 435 ships that transported Russian crude in 2024, 112—or 26%—are now under Washington’s sanctions.
Writing on Truth Social on Feb. 7, U.S. President Donald Trump accused the agency of widespread corruption and fraud, declaring, "CLOSE IT DOWN!"
President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in an interview with Reuters on Feb. 7 that Ukraine was not offering to "give away" its resources but seeking a mutually beneficial partnership.
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will disconnect from Russia’s power grid this weekend and synchronize with the Western European network.
The representative survey found that 67% of Germans backed Germany’s military support for Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved sanctions against 57 captains of Russia’s "shadow fleet," a group of tankers routinely used to evade sanctions targeting Russia's oil trade, and 55 individuals involved in looting Ukraine’s cultural heritage in occupied Crimea.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has proposed changes to military medical examination rules that would simplify the conscription of individuals with psychosis, hypertension, and syphilis.
Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said the children who returned home include a 16-year-old girl who lost her mother, a 17-year-old boy who had been issued a summons to join the Russian army, and an eight-year-old girl.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce on Feb. 4 that the United States will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council and extend a freeze on funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, a White House official told Reuters.
A key focus of the meeting is geopolitics and EU relations with the United States, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs expected to dominate the agenda.
