A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Source: Ukraine MoD/21st Mechanized Brigade
Political Developments
The war in Ukraine entered its fourth year this week, passing the grim milestone on Monday, February 24.
The European Council announced a new set of economic sanctions targeting Russia on Monday. Foreign policy head Kaja Kallas said, “This new round of sanctions not only targets the Russian shadow fleet but those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies.” Australia and New Zealand announced new measures targeting Russia as well.
While Ukraine’s path into NATO is uncertain, Kyiv’s goal of joining the European Union could be realized in the next five years. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated at a summit on Ukraine this week that Kyiv could be admitted into the economic bloc before 2030.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to raise U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and target 3% later, signaling support for European security amid concerns over U.S. policy shifts under Donald Trump. In response to Trump’s changing stance on Ukraine, Starmer and other European leaders are strengthening diplomatic efforts to back Kyiv — and looking to sway Trump’s stance. Starmer traveled to Washington this week, holding a joint press appearance with Trump where he advocated for continuing support for Ukraine. Starmer said the U.K. was “ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal.”
In a display of support for Kyiv, a dozen leaders from Europe and Canada traveled to Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the war. “In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the visit. Meanwhile, China affirmed its “no limits” relationship with Russia during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After U.S. President Donald Trump called for Ukraine to hold presidential elections despite its martial law, the Verkhovna Rada held a vote this week reaffirming the legislative body’s support for President Volodymyr Zelensky, with 268 lawmakers voting in favor of Zelensky remaining president until peace can be established. Trump last week had referred to Zelensky as a ‘dictator’, though at a press conference alongside Starmer this week, Trump backed away from that comment.
Washington and Kyiv are close to inking a deal covering the development of Ukraine’s mineral and other natural resources. Zelensky traveled to Washington at the end of this week to discuss the final details on the agreement, which would see the U.S. and Ukraine create a joint fund into which some of the proceeds of future resource development would be paid. But the draft agreement did not indicate any significant U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, noting only that the U.S. “supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.” Kyiv has pushed for stronger language in order to deter Russia from reigniting war after a peace settlement has been reached.
Zelensky’s visit ended in turmoil Friday during a shocking public meeting in the White House’s Oval Office where Trump and Vice President JD Vance got into a heated verbal exchange with the Ukrainian leader. Trump called Zelensky disrespectful and later said on his Truth Social account that Zelensky is “not ready for peace if America is involved.”
And the U.S. continues to exhibit political pressure on Ukraine. At the United Nations General Assembly this week, the U.S. voted alongside Russia opposing a European resolution condemning Moscow for its invasion on the third anniversary of the war. And behind the scenes, the U.S. has reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine’s Starlink access, which Ukrainian troops use to access the Internet along the frontlines.
U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine, meanwhile, has been frozen, as part of the Trump administration’s broader freeze on foreign assistance programs. POLITICO reported this week that the State Department has pushed internally for a special exemption to be granted for aid to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Trump in Washington and pushed for the U.S. to continue supporting Ukraine and to not “be weak” when dealing with Russia. Trump made no promises, but Macron said the meeting reflected a “turning point.” During the meeting, Trump said he believed the end of the war is in sight.
Turkey played host to American and Russian negotiators this week, following an initial summit in Riyadh last week — though Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine was not on the table at the Istanbul talks, while a U.S. State Department readout indicated that the sides discussed technical issues. Turkey seems to be increasing its political role related to the conflict, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly told both Lavrov and Zelensky in separate meetings that Ankara would be willing to deploy troops to Ukraine to support a peace agreement.
Moscow is in no rush to end the war, with Putin saying this week, “In order to resolve complex and rather acute issues, such as related to Ukraine, both Russia and the United States must take the first step,” which he added meant “increasing the level of trust between the two states.” While Moscow has ruled out European peacekeepers participating in a post-war settlement, Trump suggested this week that Putin would actually accept such a deployment.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
Kyiv’s European partners announced a flurry of military aid deals this week. POLITICO reported over the weekend that the E.U. is aiming to put together a major EUR20 billion military aid package to Ukraine. The media outlet noted that the figure could grow further, as E.U. diplomats had previously suggested only days prior that the tranche of aid would be worth around EUR6 billion. Separately, von der Leyen announced EUR3.5 billion in budget support for Ukraine this week.
On Sunday, the Swedish government announced that it plans to provide a new aid package to Ukraine worth SEK1.2 billion ($110 million). The assistance package will focus on air-defense systems to help Ukraine guard its skies. Norway, meanwhile, will send NOK3.5 billion ($310 million) for Ukraine to procure equipment from its own industry, mirroring the ‘Danish model’ of financing the Ukrainian defense sector. Norway will also train up to 5,000 Ukrainian troops.
German Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding said this week that Berlin plans to deliver 370,000 artillery shells to Ukraine this year, which will be around 30,000 more than in 2024. The German government is also working to deliver the first six RCH 155 howitzers to the Ukrainian Army in 2025. Berlin will also train as many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops.
Around EUR1 billion in military equipment will be provided to Ukraine from Spain in 2025, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated this week. “Ukraine must win a just and lasting peace. The freedom, security and future of all Europeans depend on it. That is why I have just announced in Kyiv that Spain will send a new €1 billion military aid package to the Ukrainian people,” Sanchez said.
While Ireland is committed to sending non-lethal aid only, the Irish government said this week that it would provide Giraffe Mark IV radars — used for air-defense — to Ukraine as part of the country’s ‘continued solidarity’ with Kyiv.
The Polish government will deliver another 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw helps Kyiv with funding access to Starlink.
Canada also announced a new aid package to Ukraine this week, pledging 25 LAV IIIs and four F-16 flight simulators. The Canadian government will also extend a $5 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets. Moreover, up to $40 million of Canada’s military aid will be channeled through the ‘Danish model’, with Canada providing funding for Ukrainian companies to produce military equipment. Separately, Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom inked a deal with Roshel regarding the production of armored vehicles in Ukraine.
Battlefield Updates
As many as 860,000 Russian service personnel have been killed or wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to a British Ministry of Defense assessment. While determining the true figures is difficult, Mediazona and the BBC have tracked open-source listings of Russian KIAs, finding data for around 100,000 names.
Russian forces have conducted another missile and drone attack across Ukrainian territory. The attack took place during the night of February 20-21. Russian forces launched 160 Shahed-131/136 attack drones and various decoy systems, as well as two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. This salvo was followed by another on the night of February 25, in which Russia fired more than 210 attack drones and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles. Ukrainian air defense units claimed to have shot down six Kh-101s and 133 attack drones.
Russia and Ukraine launched dozens of drones against each other Wednesday, damaging energy facilities and killing at least one and injuring four in Ukraine. Russia’s attack included 177 drones of various types, and explosions were heard in and around Kyiv. Russia says it shot down 128 Ukrainian drones in one of the largest attacks since the start of the war.
A report this week noted that Russia aims to produce as many as 750 9M723 Iskander missiles in 2025, alongside 560 Kh-101s.
On the ground, Ukrainian troops made small advances in key sectors around Pokrovsk and Toretsk this week. Russian forces had spent the latter half of 2024 taking territory in this area, and earlier in February the Russian Ministry of Defense asserted that it had captured the city of Toretsk, a claim Ukraine denied.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service said in a statement on Thursday that Pyongyang has deployed additional troops to Russia in recent weeks, though the spy agency was unable to determine the size of the personnel deployment. Russia has utilized North Korean support in the vicinity of Kursk, which is partially occupied by Ukraine. North Korean troops were said to have temporarily withdrawn from that front earlier in February, amid heavy casualties in efforts to storm Ukrainian positions.
The Ukrainian defense industry produced over 154 artillery systems in 2024, President Zelensky said at a press conference this week, in reference to the 155mm 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer. Some of these howitzers were made with funding through what has become known as the ‘Danish model’, whereby the Danish government provided the funds for Ukrainian companies to make the artillery equipment.
Ukraine showed off a new cruise missile, dubbed Trembita, at the Defense Tech Innovations Forum in Kyiv. Ukrainian media claimed the missile can be produced in an active version at a price of around $14,000, while ‘dummy’ versions meant to fool enemy air-defense systems can be procured for as cheap as $4,000.
Many of Ukraine’s brigades have one or more amputee soldiers that returned for service despite suffering serious wartime injuries earlier in the conflict.
Russia claims it thwarted an attempt by Ukraine to kill a priest close to Putin. Ukraine’s military intelligence organization denied involvement in the plot.
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image sources
- Ukraine drone: Ukraine MoD/21st Mechanized Brigade
