In our weekly digest, you will find the main news from Ukraine, an analysis of key events and an overview of international support that helps strengthen Ukraine’s economy and defense capabilities. We will also cover the situation on the frontline, consider the impact of the war in Ukraine on global processes, and talk about events that are shaping the future of the world.
The UK is ready to deploy troops for peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is ready to deploy British troops to Ukraine to ensure the implementation of any peace agreement. He wrote about this in an exclusive article for The Telegraph.
The UK is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes continued support for the Ukrainian military, where the UK is already committing £3 billion a year until at least 2030, – Stramer wrote.
This is the first time he has explicitly stated that he is considering deploying British peacekeepers to Ukraine ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Paris on Monday.
According to the prime minister, he feels responsible for the potential to put British troops in harm’s way, but he said that helping Ukraine would help strengthen the security of Britain itself and the entire European continent.
The end of this war, when it comes, cannot be just a temporary respite before Putin attacks again, – added Keir Starmer.
Sweden does not rule out sending peacekeepers to Ukraine
The Swedish government is considering sending peacekeepers to Ukraine after the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This was stated by Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.
According to her, if peace is established after the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and Russia’s war against Ukraine ends, it must be preserved. The Swedish government does not rule out any possibility of maintaining peace.
Now we must first agree on a just and sustainable peace that respects international law, that respects Ukraine and that, above all, ensures that Russia cannot simply retreat, build up new strength and attack Ukraine or another country in just a few years, – said Maria Malmer Stenergard.
United Arab Emirates and Ukraine signed an economic agreement – Zelenskyy
During his visit to the United Arab Emirates, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main topics of conversation included the return of Ukrainian military and civilians from Russian captivity. An economic agreement was also signed. The Head of State announced this on Telegram.
One of our key topics today is the return of our people from Russian captivity. The UAE’s mediation has saved many lives. We are grateful for this important cooperation, and today we discussed how we can continue it, – Zelenskyy said.
The President also informed that an economic agreement had been signed between the two countries.
The document liberalizes access to the UAE market for almost all Ukrainian goods as much as possible. It will be easier for our companies to sell their products in the UAE, – he said.
According to him, First Lady Olena Zelenskyy also had meetings to discuss humanitarian cooperation. It is about rehabilitation and support for large foster families.
EU ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees: results of the meeting in Paris
The European Union considers it dangerous to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine without a peace agreement and is ready to provide Ukrainians with security guarantees.
These are the key conclusions of the meeting on Ukraine and security in Europe held in Paris, an EU official said in a commentary to Suspilne.
The EU official said that the EU agrees with US President Donald Trump on the “peace through strength” approach.
At the same time, the EU believes that it is dangerous to conclude a ceasefire agreement without a peace agreement – a lesson from the Minsk agreements.
The official also said that the EU is ready to provide “security guarantees, the terms of which will be discussed with each party, depending on the level of American support”.
We are ready to increase our defense budgets, both individually and within the EU, to better share the burden with the United States, – the EU official said.
Zelenskyy meets with Erdoğan in Ankara
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday, February 18. This was reported by the Office of the Turkish President.
It is noted that the President of Ukraine, who is on an official visit to Turkey, was solemnly welcomed at the presidential complex.
Before meeting with the Turkish leader, the Ukrainian delegation honored the memory of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Zelenskyy also inaugurated the new premises of the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey, Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said.
Negotiations between the US and Russian delegations took place in Saudi Arabia
On Tuesday, February 18, the delegations of the United States and Russia held talks in Saudi Arabia. The meeting lasted about five hours.
Following the meeting, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio is expected to hold a press conference. Russia is also announcing a press conference.
According to Russian media, the meeting began without preliminary words in the presence of the press.
Russia is represented at the table by Foreign Minister Lavrov and Putin’s aide Ushakov, while the United States is represented by Trump’s National Security Advisor Waltz, Secretary of State Rubio, and Special Envoy Vitkoff. According to RosSIA, Dimitriev, who is in charge of the economic aspect of the talks, made a number of statements, including saying that progress in the economic talks with the United States could be achieved in 2–3 months.
The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide for international affairs Yuri Ushakov arrived in Riyadh, and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dimitriev, is also in the Saudi capital.
The US side is represented by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Volz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Ukraine does not participate in these talks.
The EU is preparing a €6 billion military aid package for Ukraine
The European Union is preparing a military aid package for Ukraine worth at least 6 billion euros. This was reported by Politico, citing three EU diplomats.
The package is expected to include 1.5 million artillery shells, air defense systems, and other weapons. This will be one of the largest aid packages from the EU since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The official announcement of the aid may take place on the eve of the European Commissioners’ visit to Kyiv on February 24, the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion.
It is noted that this assistance is aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s strategic position amid negotiations between the US and Russia.
Jozwiak: EU approves 16th package of sanctions against Russia
On Wednesday, February 19, the European Union agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia. This was reported by Radio Liberty editor Rikard Jozwiak.
This is the 16th since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, – Jozwiak wrote.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement on the 16th package of sanctions.
The EU is further stepping up the fight against circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin’s shadow fleet and introducing new import and export bans. We are committed to keeping up the pressure on the Kremlin, – Ursula von der Leyen said.
According to Reuters, the sanctions include a ban on imports of primary aluminum. Also, according to the source, separate sanctions are imposed on 73 vessels of the so-called shadow tanker fleet.
The 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia is expected to be approved next Monday during the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
Donald Trump calls Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections”
US President Donald Trump has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and said that Zelenskyy had convinced the US to “spend $350 billion on the war.” He announced this on his social network Truth Social.
According to Trump, Zelenskyy “refuses to hold elections” and “ranks very low in Ukrainian polls”.
A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy had better act fast, otherwise he will have no country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating to end the war with Russia, something that everyone recognizes can only be done by Trump and the Trump administration, – the US president said.
Trump also accused Zelenskyy of “wanting to keep the money flowing”. Earlier on February 18, Trump said that he “did not see a clear accounting” of where and how much money from the United States was spent. He said that the United States had given Ukraine “$300 billion”.
He also wrote that he “loves Ukraine,” but “Zelenskyy has done a terrible job”. According to him, “the country is crushed” and “millions have died”.
For the first time, the United States refused to co-sponsor a UN resolution in support of Ukraine
For the first time, the United States has refused to co-sponsor a draft UN resolution on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which reaffirms support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemns Russian aggression. Reuters reports this with reference to three diplomatic sources.
It is noted that countries may decide to co-sponsor the resolution before the vote. According to the diplomats, the 193-member General Assembly is scheduled to vote on February 24. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding but carry political weight, reflecting a global view of the war.
In previous years, the United States has consistently co-sponsored such resolutions in support of a just peace in Ukraine, – one source said.
Another source noted that the resolution was sponsored by more than 50 countries, but declined to name them.
Another source confirmed that “the current situation is that they (the US) will not sign it”. He also noted that efforts are underway to attract support from other states, including those in the Global South.
The draft resolution of the UN General Assembly, seen by Reuters, “calls for de-escalation, a speedy cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine… in accordance with the UN Charter and international law”.
The document also “recalls the need for full implementation of the relevant resolutions adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine, in particular the requirement for the Russian Federation to immediately, fully and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”.
A source at the UN confirmed that the United States is not currently among the co-authors of the document.
As of now, the United States is not among the co-authors, – our source said.
UK and Norway form “maritime coalition” for Ukraine
British Defense Secretary John Healey and Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik have announced a “maritime coalition” to strengthen Ukraine. They announced this at a joint press conference in Norway near the border with Russia.
John Healey said that the coalition would include “a dozen countries”. It is still unknown who exactly is among them.
So, this is a conversation about Europe strengthening its support for Ukraine, strengthening European security. This is a conversation between the European countries that are operating here, Norway and the United Kingdom together, – said the British Defense Secretary.
He also added that Ukraine is still fighting, so the UK and Norway will continue to support Ukraine.
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik said that the security environment in both Norway and the UK has deteriorated as a result of Russia’s brutal and destructive full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Norway and the UK will begin work on a new bilateral defense agreement.
We are committed to further developing and strengthening our cooperation in defense and security. We will also strengthen our commitment to work together to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security, – said the Norwegian Defense Minister.
European Commission: Zelenskyy is the duly elected president of Ukraine
The EU has stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the legitimately elected president of Ukraine in fair and democratic elections. In addition, Brussels emphasized that there can be no solution for Ukraine without the participation of Ukraine and the EU.
This was stated at a briefing by European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statements about the elections in Ukraine and the low level of Ukrainians’ trust in Zelenskyy, as well as on the US-Russia talks.
We have a fairly straightforward and clear position on this. President Zelenskyy was legitimately elected in free, fair and democratic elections. Ukraine is a democracy, and Putin’s Russia is not. As for the information used by the American side, I cannot answer this question, it is better to address it to the American side, – he said.
Trudeau: Canada will always defend Ukraine
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed his unequivocal support for Ukraine amid the deterioration of relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
In a video message posted on social media, Trudeau clearly stated that “Canada and our allies” are united in their support for Zelenskyy and oppose Vladimir Putin.
Canada and our allies unequivocally stand in defense of Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s illegal, immoral and unjust violations of the international order, – Trudeau said.
Trudeau strongly defended the “rules-based order” that, in his words, has ensured global security for the past nearly 80 years.
Ukrainians fight and die not only to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity. They are also fighting to preserve the world order that guarantees security for all of us and has been in place for almost 80 years, – he said.
He emphasized that “this period of peace, stability and prosperity in the world has been made possible by the existence of rules about borders and the prohibition of invasions of neighboring countries – rules that Russia deliberately violated several years ago”.
Under the video message, Trudeau wrote: “Canada will always stand with Ukraine”.
Kateryna Yashchuk
