Well done @WinterMorn, I hope there's lots of support.
I'm away next week, will be on a different time zone and I'm not sure if I'll have internet access so may have to skip Monday's round up. If I can do it I will.
United 24 Media:
🔹 A new round of talks between the US and Russia will take place in Riyadh on February 25, said US President Donald Trump, quoted by Euronews.
🔸 Media: NATO wants to expand fuel pipelines eastward in case of war.
Since the Cold War, there have been two fuel pipelines in NATO territory that extend to Germany, but neither reaches even the Soviet-controlled eastern Germany.
One pipeline is expected to be extended to the Czech Republic, the other to Poland, writes Spiegel. The option of connecting the pipeline systems is also being considered. The total construction cost in the Bundeswehr is estimated at 21 billion euros, and its full implementation could take 20-25 years.
🔹 Ukraine will not be a NATO member; it will again become a buffer zone between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance, said Orbán.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also noted that Ukraine will never become a member of the EU if it acts contrary to the interests of Hungary.
He expressed the opinion that “in fact, the war is not about Ukraine, but about the territory called ‘Ukraine’, which was a conflict zone between NATO and Russia and is now under NATO control.”
“Why European and American liberals thought that the Russians would stand aside and watch this remains a mystery. It is already clear that their attempt has failed. Ukraine and what is left of it will again become a buffer zone. Ukraine will not be a member of NATO,” Orbán said.
🔸 Bloomberg: EU exploring possibility of confiscating Russian assets to compensate Ukraine.
Bloomberg sources say the European Union is discussing the theoretical option of confiscating frozen Russian assets if it refuses to compensate for the losses.
Another option being discussed in the European Union is that member states would be given the authority to confiscate Russian sovereign assets to compensate for the destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the agency said in a report.
🔹 Estonia is handing over 10,000 artillery rounds and 750,000 food packages for the military to Ukraine.
Prime Minister Michal added that "Ukraine decides its own future" and that it "can always count on Estonia's support."
🔸 Foreign Minister Sybiha called for a look at Russia’s actions amid reports that the US refuses to call Russia an aggressor in several resolutions.
The minister noted that Russia launched a record 267 deadly drones over Ukraine last night, targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.
🔹 ❗️A press conference “Ukraine. Year 2025” is taking place in Kyiv right now.
There was no refusal from the agreement on minerals with the US — Head of the President’s Office Yermak says that the normal working process is underway.
“First, we will make sure that the agreement exists, and only then will we determine who will sign it.”
And government representatives should comment on the issue of privatization.
🔸 The Russians were once again planning to kill the head of the Defense Ministry’s HUR, Kyrylo Budanov, last Easter. It was a real failure of the FSB, said the head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, at the forum “Ukraine. Year 2025.”
The terrorist attack was to take place “in a French supermarket in the capital.”
According to Malyuk, he himself and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were also targets for destruction.
🔹 Ukraine has successfully hit 48 Russian targets. These include ammunition depots, airfields with military aircraft, and oil production and refining facilities, SBU chief Malyuk said.
He also said that 85% of the Russian personnel and equipment destroyed were the work of drones.
🔸 North Korea is actively participating in the war against Ukraine, providing 50% of the Russian Federation’s ammunition needs, said the Head of the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, at the forum “Ukraine. Year 2025.”
The DPRK also supplies the aggressor with 170-mm howitzers and 140-mm multiple launch rocket systems.
Meanwhile, the aggressor is increasing its own production.
❗️❗️There can be no compromise on our territorial integrity, Yermak said.
“It matters to Ukrainians how this war ends. We need solid security guarantees. Today, all partners stand with us,” he added.
❗️Ukraine received $100 billion in aid from the US, not 350, not 500, not 700, Zelenskyy said.
“But I am not even ready to acknowledge the $100 billion, because a grant is not a debt. I agreed on this with Biden. This was the agreement—that it is a grant. We do not recognize it as a debt,” the president said.
🔹 “I believe that Trump wants to help end the war and will do so. But the force must be directed at Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the US has provided more aid than anyone else, but compared to the EU, it is on an equal footing.
“Ukraine, Europe, the US, and the Russian Federation—that’s how we see the ’negotiating table,’” the president added.
❗️“I will not sign what 10 generations of Ukrainians will pay,” Zelenskyy said.
“If the condition today is that the US says, ‘We will give you aid, but you must repay it with profit for the US,’ this is an agreement, not a grant. This is a new agreement. I am ready for such a dialogue. I am sure it will be positive, whether I like it or not, because we need help. If your condition is that you will not give aid unless we sign the agreement, then it’s clear. The question is—how much aid are you giving? 10, 20, 30 billion in weapons, direct financial assistance?” the president said.
⚡️“The US has a logic that if their business enters the territory, it guarantees security and prevents the Russians from going there. We’ve already had American companies working in Ukraine, including in the occupied territories—this doesn’t guarantee that the Russians won’t go where they’ve already gone,” Zelenskyy said.
❗️“The word dictator should offend the one who is one,” Zelenskyy said, commenting on Trump calling him a dictator.
“Last year, Ukraine produced 154 artillery pieces, 100,000 long-range drones, and 2.2 million FPV drones,” Zelenskyy said.
“North Korea lost 4,000 soldiers in the Kursk region. 1,500-2,000 soldiers are being sent to replace them,” the president said.
❗️ In Ukraine, 10 UN humanitarian workers were killed last year due to Russian attacks.
In addition, another 41 UN workers were injured.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, explained that this number does not include data from all 600 national and international NGOs, but only those that cooperate with the UN in the humanitarian response system.
🔸 “We don’t need guarantees from Russia. We don’t trust them and don’t count on their word. This is my position, and it differs from that of our partners,” President Zelenskyy said.
🔹 Britain and France to Show Trump Plan for Deploying 30,000 Peacekeepers in Ukraine, — WSJ
The European proposal depends on convincing President Trump to agree to a limited US military role to protect European troops in Ukraine if they are threatened, the publication notes.
The plan will be presented in Washington by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the initiative, the US may not deploy its own forces in Ukraine, but in the event of a threat from Russia, European troops should use air defense systems and put air forces in neighboring countries on alert. The task of the British and French troops will include protecting infrastructure, cities, and ports in the Black Sea.
According to the WSJ’s interlocutors, the European plan to send peacekeepers will be difficult to implement without Trump’s support.
A serious problem for the Europeans could be “Trump’s desire to improve relations with Russia and his reluctance to position the US army as a potential adversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine,” the article says.
🔸 Hungary has become a co-sponsor of the American draft of a UN resolution that does not condemn Russian aggression, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.
“For the first time in three years, we have come closer to ending the war in Ukraine thanks to the US-Russian negotiations launched in Riyadh.
After years of impasse, the fact that the president of the peace party has taken office in the US gives hope.
Tomorrow, the UN General Assembly will discuss two resolutions. One was submitted by the Americans, the other by EU member states. Hungary supports the American resolution and is even a co-sponsor.
The reason is simple: pro-war, liberal European leaders have been fueling the conflict for three years, and pro-peace Donald Trump is taking giant steps to end it,” Szijjártó said.
🔹 Trump’s special envoy, Witkoff, said the US is “very close” to reaching a peace agreement to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He did not specify the terms of the potential deal but emphasized that in any peace agreement, “each side is going to make concessions, whether territorial concessions or economic concessions.”
🔸 EU leaders will meet on March 6 for a special meeting on Ukraine and Europe’s defense capabilities, European Council President António Costa said.
“We are living through a defining moment for Ukraine and European security.
During my consultations with European leaders, I heard a shared desire to respond to these challenges at the EU level: to strengthen European defense and make a decisive contribution to ensuring peace on our continent and the long-term security of Ukraine,” he wrote.
🔹 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa have arrived in Kyiv, our correspondent reports.
On the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, a meeting of leaders of partner countries will take place in the capital to discuss peace, security guarantees, and the future of collective security.
🔹 Opening the border between Finland and Russia is not realistic at the moment, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkinen told Yle.
“We are not going to open the border. We know that Russia wants to continue directing the flow of migrants to Finland immediately,” Häkkinen said.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov suggested opening the border. Häkkinen noted that Russia’s words and actions do not align.
“We must take common security seriously. Whether it’s border security, cables, or real estate deals, we need to strengthen control in these areas.”
According to Häkkinen, Russia often glosses over its actions, even though it caused the breakdown in relations with its neighbors.
“They attacked Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea, and then full-scale Ukraine. Russia has killed and injured hundreds of thousands and seized a significant part of its neighbor’s territory,” he said.
Häkkinen argued that if Russia truly wants to engage with its neighbors, it must first change its behavior. In the current situation, Russia cannot expect continued tourism and trade.
“The first step to improving relations would be for Russia to stop military operations in Ukraine and withdraw from the occupied territories. While the attack continues, it is difficult to forget what Russia has done in the past three years.”
In an interview with Keskisuomalainen, Häkkinen accused Russia of hypocrisy, noting that the current dialogue between the countries may only concern border cooperation and the work of embassies.
“Trust has been lost because Russia attacked Ukraine and issued ultimatums to all of Europe.”
He also emphasized the importance of a unified EU and NATO stance on Russia, which seeks to divide Europe through dialogue with individual countries.
🔸 Exactly three years ago, on February 24, 2022, at about 5 a.m. Kyiv time, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The dictator declared a “special military operation,” aiming to denazify and demilitarize the neighboring country. Ukraine was given three days.
Today, three years have passed since Ukrainians stood up for their statehood, identity, and language.
🇺🇦 Ukrainians can be killed, but they can never be conquered!