Mykolaiv Oblast governor reports shootout between Russian troops, Russia's proxies in neighboring region.

5:07 AM

Bulgarian court orders recount of parliamentary election results amid voting discrepancies.

Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ordered a full recount of the country's October 2024 parliamentary election results on Feb. 26 following an audit that discovered various voting discrepancies.

3:58 AM

US declines to sign WTO statement condemning Russian aggression.

The statement, proposed during Ukraine’s Trade Policy Review, emphasized members' concerns surrounding the "consequences of (the war's) destruction for Ukraine and for global trade," while explicitly naming Russia as the aggressor.

2:50 AM

Far-right Romanian presidential candidate detained, charged in election probe.

The Romanian Prosecutor General's office has charged pro-Russian Calin Georgescu with "incitement to actions against the constitutional order" and other alleged crimes related to the Nov. 24 first-round elections.

1:28 AM

Romania approves shooting down drones that violate its airspace.

The move comes after multiple incidents in which Russian drones crashed onto Romanian territory during attacks against neighboring Ukraine.

12:04 AM

Ukraine not on agenda in next US-Russia talks, State Department says.

"To be clear, there are no political or security issues on the agenda. Ukraine is not  on the agenda," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an email to Reuters. U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Istanbul on Feb. 27.

10:53 PM

Zelensky confirms upcoming meeting with Trump.

"I will meet with President Trump," Zelensky said in his evening address on Feb. 26. "It is important for me and all of us in the world that America's assistance is not stopped."

10:33 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals

10:09 PM

Ukraine hits key Russian military sites in Crimea, Krasnodar Krai, General Staff says.

The joint operation targeted the Saky and Kacha military airfields in occupied Crimea and Russia's Tuapse oil refinery, the military claimed on Feb. 26.

10:07 PM

No sanctions relief for Russia pre-deal and Ukraine 'can forget about' NATO, Trump says.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 26 that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO as part of a future peace agreement with Russia and ruled out lifting sanctions on Moscow before a deal is reached.

9:56 PM

Zelensky officially dismisses Joint Forces Commander Andrii Hnatov, now serving in General Staff.

In January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov had been appointed deputy chief of the General Staff.

8:44 PM

5 killed, 11 injured in Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.

According to Ukraine's National Police, a 47-year-old woman and four men — aged 56, 57, and 75, with one more yet to be identified — were killed in the attack.

8:36 PM

Video

US author explains Donald Trump’s Russia, KGB connections.

Craig Unger is an American journalist and writer who has written two books on Donald Trump’s connections to Russia’s security services and the Russian mafia stretching all the way back to the 1980s. Unger says he is “absolutely certain” that the U.S. president is a Russian asset whose current actions are benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, and destroying relationships with long-time allies.

8:03 PM

No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says.

While it does not contain any concrete security guarantees, the agreement states the U.S. government "supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."

7:55 PM

Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals.

"It's now confirmed, and we're going to be signing an agreement which will be a very big agreement," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 26 during a White House cabinet meeting.

5:11 PM

Ukrainian director of commercials Vitalii Kokoshko killed in Russia's war.

Vitalii Kokoshko, a Ukrainian director of commercials and veteran of the Ukrainian advertising industry, was killed in Russia's war, his daughter Olha Kokoshko wrote on Facebook on Feb. 25.

9:19 PM  (Updated:  February 26, 2025 3:56 pm)

Ukraine, US reach agreement on minerals deal.

According to the Financial Times, Ukraine secured more favorable terms and framed the deal as a way to strengthen ties with the U.S.

3:36 PM

Ukraine's DTEK plans LNG import deal by April, Bloomberg reports.

The company expects to finalize and announce the deal within the next two months, with most potential partners based in the U.S.

3:33 PM

Ukraine's agriculture industry has lost $80 billion due to Russian invasion, minister says.

This figure includes not only direct damage but also indirect damage from disrupted logistics, increased fertilizer and fuel costs, expenses for land reclamation and demining, and occupied territories, Agriculture Minister Vitalii Koval said.

3:25 PM

Exclusive: The full text of the US-Ukraine mineral deal.

The Kyiv Independent has obtained from a source in the Ukrainian government, the full text of the mineral deal agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine.

2:51 PM

Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Kulyk killed in her home by Russian drone attack in Kyiv Oblast.

Tetiana Kulyk was a journalist at the Ukrinform news agency and host of "the Nation of the Invincibles" program.

2:39 PM

'More than 40 explosions' — HUR confirms Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Tuapse oil refinery.

Earlier on Feb. 26, Russia's Defense Ministry said 128 Ukrainian drones had been downed over the country, 83 of them in Krasnodar Krai.

1:58 PM

Ukrainian forces liberate Kotlyne village near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

Kotlyne and Pokrovsk are connected by the T 0406 highway, which also leads to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

1:27 PM

US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says.

The first round of talks on Feb. 18 in Saudi Arabia marked the first direct negotiations between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion began.

2:34 PM  (Updated:  February 26, 2025 12:50 pm)

Peace Talks

In talks with Russia, Trump repeats his Afghanistan playbook

12:37 PM

Trump says sanctions against Russia to be lifted 'at some point.'

"No, we haven't lifted any sanctions on anybody… I guess it will be at some point, but right now, we haven't agreed to lift sanctions on anybody," Donald Trump said.