Ukraine calendar: What will happen this week
Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from February 16-22. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week.
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The next round of trilateral negotiations will take place on 17–18 February in Geneva. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the Russian delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The move has raised concerns in Ukraine and across the West.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow is not prepared to consider a 20-point peace plan on Ukraine. He emphasized that the only framework Russia deems acceptable is the set of understandings reached following the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
We spoke with Prof. Andrew Wilson about the risks of a potential peace deal with Russia and how Ukraine’s politics have evolved during the full-scale invasion. Watch and listen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
The EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) will meet on 17 February, with preparations for a new sanctions package against Russia at the top of the agenda. The package is expected to be adopted on February 24, marking the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The 20th sanctions package, proposed last week by the European Commission, targets key sectors including energy, financial services, and trade. A central proposal is a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil, to be implemented in close coordination with G7 partners.
On the eve of the ECOFIN session, a meeting of the Eurogroup will take place on 16 February. Ministers are expected to discuss the draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area for 2026, with a view to its formal approval by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council.
Volodymyr Zelensky may meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (February 13–16). While in Munich, the Ukrainian president will also visit a Ukrainian-German defense company, Quantum Frontline Industries GmbH, and hold talks with the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof.
He is also expected to deliver a speech on Saturday, 14 February, at 12:00 p.m.
The first meeting of the Board of Peace, established by Donald Trump, is scheduled to take place on February 19 in Washington. The session will focus on the situation in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to attend. Russia has stated that it does not plan to participate.
A new €6.7 billion program with the International Monetary Fund could be formally approved in the coming weeks, according to Ukraine’s head of debt management, Yuriy Butsa. At the same time, Kyiv continues negotiations aimed at softening IMF conditions, particularly those related to increasing taxes for self-employed entrepreneurs.
Ukrainian forces are expected to retain localized battlefield advantages in the near term following the disruption of Starlink services, which has created command-and-control challenges within the Russian military. Russian troops are reportedly abandoning Starlink terminals following their deactivation, while efforts to establish backup communication channels have so far failed. However, Ukraine currently lacks sufficient manpower reserves to translate this advantage into sustained offensive gains.
The energy system will remain under severe strain as Russia continues daily strikes on critical infrastructure. Rolling blackouts persist in all regions. In the Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts, residents receive three to four hours of electricity after seven-to eight-hour outages. In Kyiv, the number of apartment buildings without heating has tripled in a week to 3,700 (roughly 800,000 to 1.5 million people).
Weather conditions across Ukraine are expected to remain cold and frosty, though no severe cold snaps are currently forecast.
Ukraine will observe several commemorative dates next week. 16 February marks the Day of the Ukrainian Military Journalist, and 19 February is the Day of the State Emblem of Ukraine. The country honors the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes who were killed during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, on 20 February.
Are the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan turning into a commercial for Russia’s war? We explore this question together with hockey legend Dominik Hašek in the latest episode of the Ukraine Insights podcast. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Events and Milestones:
Next week:
- 19 February, Online. Ukraine Battlefield Update: Strategic, Operational, and Technological Evolutions. This is a special briefing, marking the launch of Defence Analytics — a new premium product focused on battlefield reality, defense tech innovation, procurement signals, and Russian adaptation — produced by an expanded team with direct field exposure and senior industry expertise. More details here. Register here.
- 17–19 February, Orlando, USA. Offline event: NAHB International Builders’ Show 2026 (IBS 2026). One of the world’s largest residential construction exhibitions, bringing together global manufacturers, developers, suppliers, and innovators to showcase solutions, build partnerships, and expand international market opportunities. Register here.
- 17-21 February, Lviv. Hybrid event: 18th International Conference on Advanced Trends in Radioelectronics, Telecommunications and Computer Engineering. A tech conference held within the IEEE Lviv Polytechnic Winter Week, bringing together researchers and industry participants. Read more here.
- 19–20 February, Kyiv, Ukraine. Offline event: Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2026. Technology and cybersecurity forum for Ukraine and the CEE region focused on strengthening cyber resilience and digital security. Register here.
Further ahead:
- 26 February, Kyiv. Offline event: Forbes Agro 2026. A conference for agribusiness professionals focused on increasing business capitalization and integration into EU markets. Buy tickets here.
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