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.
Key developments on. Feb. 12: * Trump holds talks with Zelensky following his 1.5-hour-long conversation with Putin * 'Restoring Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is unrealistic objective,' Pentagon chief says * Coordinating allied support — Umerov lists Ukraine's priorities at Ramstein-format summit * Europe faces 'total' Russian occupation without Ukraine's army, Zelensky says * Ukraine's SBU
"Everyone who destroyed the national security of Ukraine and helped Russia must be held accountable (for their actions)," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without specifying who exactly would be penalized and what that would mean.
Ukraine faces a delicate balancing act — mobilizing enough people to fend off the immediate threat posed by Russia's full-scale invasion, and preserving enough of the country's youth to weather longer-term demographic concerns. On top of this, U.S. lawmakers and NATO allies are reportedly urging Ukraine to lower its draft
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Feb. 12 at the Ramstein summit that it is unrealistic to expect that Ukraine can restore its 2014 borders in any negotiations with Moscow on ending its war.
"The conversation went very well. He, like President (Vladimir) Putin, wants to make peace. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the war, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence on Feb. 10. The former lawmaker has previously blamed NATO for Russia's war against Ukraine, and faced scrutiny for her controversial foreign policy views.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said both agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Feb. 12.
Ukraine is not giving up on its NATO aspirations, but if denied an invitation to the alliance, it "must build NATO on its territory" by strengthening the military, President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Economist in an interview published on Feb. 12.
“The biggest problem is the lack of people.” These words, heard by journalists, including myself, from Ukrainian soldiers and commanders across the front line for the past year, are no outlier. For most of 2024 and into 2025, Ukraine’s biggest issue on the battlefield has not been firepower but
The contract includes basic general military training, vocational training, and an adaptation course in an army unit. Volunteers will receive a one-time monetary aid payment of Hr 1 million ($24,000) and a monthly allowance of up to Hr 120,000 ($3,000).
The attacker reportedly used a gas spray and stabbed the serviceman, who is now receiving medical care with no threat to his life.
"If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin attacks NATO, the reaction will be devastating. He will lose," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"As for President Trump, he said he was waiting for me in Washington. And we are very much looking forward to our teams agreeing on the dates and other details for a meeting in the U.S.," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"This is impossible. Russia has never discussed and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The suspect's activities were documented in 14 separate episodes, according to Maliuk. He emphasized that the operation required "all possible overt and covert methods," including advanced operational and technical measures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the disparity in forces, saying that Ukraine's army consists of 110 brigades, while Russia fields 220 and plans to expand to 250 this year. In contrast, Europe, including U.S. troops stationed there, has only about 82 combat brigades.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the first time on Feb. 12 during the Ramstein-format meeting in Brussels.
The attack struck an industrial zone housing multiple office centers. Footage from the scene shows shattered glass, structural damage to buildings, and wrecked cars.
An attempt to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 resulted in people being killed inside the Presidential Office, Zelensky said in a segment of an interview with The Guardian published on Feb. 12.
The agenda includes ensuring a stable and timely supply of military aid in 2025, accelerating the delivery of critical weapons like air defense systems, aviation, and ammunition, and fostering joint projects with European partners.
The incidents included infiltration attempts at naval bases from land and sea, as well as direct damage to vessels, German Navy Commander-in-Chief Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack said.
According to the Air Force, six of the seven missiles that targeted the cities of Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih were intercepted by air defenses. Ukrainian forces also reportedly shot down 71 drones over 11 oblasts, while 40 decoy drones were lost in the airspace.
This number includes 1,150 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Russia launched a missile attack against Kyiv on the morning of Feb. 12, killing one person and injuring four others, including a child.
Ukraine will no longer form new military brigades, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa said on Feb. 11.
Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar criticized Ukrainian officials for a so-called "slanderous campaign" against Hungary in a visit to Kyiv on Feb. 11.
"This is a lie," spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said in response to Carlson's unfounded claims that Ukraine resold U.S. weapons on the black market.
Trump directed billionaire Steve Witkoff, his close friend and special envoy to the Middle East, to play a role in the Russia-Ukraine peace process, multiple sources told the New York Times.
The project aims to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian demining, test innovations, and share experiences between Ukrainian and international partners, the Defense Ministry's statement read.
