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.
As U.S.-Russian talks on ending the war in Ukraine kicked off in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18, Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, appears to have been partially sidelined from the negotiations. Kellogg will focus on talks with Ukraine and Europe,
Russia has widely used the claim that Volodymyr Zelensky is illegitimate in its propaganda to discredit the Ukrainian government.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to bring peace to Ukraine. But his approach cannot work, because it fails to address the problem of security guarantees. There will be no peace as long as Ukraine must face Russia on its own. But perhaps this flaw can be overcome.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against a hastily negotiated peace deal from the Trump administration during a wide-ranging interview with German media network ARD on Feb. 17, reaffirming that Ukraine would not accept a peace deal negotiated without the country's involvement.
The Kremlin is seeking continued access to the naval base in Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase, which have served as key military footholds in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 16 that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to stop fighting" Russia's war in Ukraine, dismissing Moscow's territorial ambitions in the embattled country.
"Ukraine will have to be involved, because they're the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
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.
After pledging for months to swiftly end Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has started to take first steps toward peace negotiations this week. After holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 12, Trump declared that Ukraine peace talks were to start
President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech on the second day of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15 was met with several rounds of applause. The Ukrainian president called for the creation of an "army of Europe" and emphasized the changes in relations between Europe and the U.S. during Donald Trump's
"Even if you decided to negotiate with Putin, just remember he will lie," Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, said at the Munich Security Conference two days before the anniversary of her husband's death.
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.
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.
"It doesn't matter what country these forces are from. In any case, we need 1.5 million troops if we are not in NATO," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The U.S. administration is ready to hand Russia a win in its brutal war against Ukraine. That’s the only conclusion we can make after following the news this week. If anyone held onto hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump would be tough on Russia’s Vladimir Putin,
Putin's team will reportedly include Sergey Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
During a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelensky reportedly told Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is pretending "he wants a deal only because he is afraid of you," Axios reported on Feb. 13, citing a Ukrainian official and three other sources familiar with the call.
Editor's note: The article was updated on Feb. 14 to include the Latvian Foreign Ministry's comments. European nations, particularly Ukraine’s neighbors and the Baltic states, were stunned when the U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly announced the start of peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the
Key developments on Feb. 13: * Russia preparing delegation for U.S. talks on war with Ukraine, consider Minsk "experience," Kremlin says * Russia's largest steel mill reportedly targeted by "massive" Ukrainian drone strike * NATO "taking over" Ukraine's security assistance, military training, Umerov says * Ukrainian drones again hit oil pumping station in
"I think realism is an important part of the conversation that hasn't existed enough inside conversations amongst friends, but simply pointing out realism like the borders won't be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014 is not a concession to Vladimir Putin," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
"I don't perceive this call as it was a priority that he (Trump) talked to Russia first. Although it's not very pleasant," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Great talks with Russia and Ukraine yesterday. Good possibility of ending that horrible, very bloody war," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that "work will be started quickly."
The White House declined to confirm whether it had received China's proposal but reportedly dismissed it as "not viable at all."
There are still many questions about what to expect from the Trump administration’s approach to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. With some in Congress questioning continued military aid and loans for Ukraine, the application of economic statecraft measures —such as sanctions, export controls, and tariffs — could be used
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.
As diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Russia have kicked off to end Moscow's war in Ukraine – without Kyiv at the table – it is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine will most likely be pressured by Washington to make concessions to Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump and his team
"This is impossible. Russia has never discussed and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
