Ukrainian Forces Now Only Control Sliver of Kursk After Russian Gains
Kyiv had aimed for its control of Kursk to be a bargaining chip in potential talks to end the war in Ukraine (Reuters)
Trump said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to speak tomorrow about a cease-fire proposal (Bloomberg)
Russia Introduces New Conditions to U.S.- and Ukraine-Backed Proposal for Cease-Fire
Putin stopped short of rejecting the proposal outright but suggested an interest in further bargaining; he met with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow last night (Politico)
A Kremlin spokesperson said today that Putin conveyed “signals” about Russia’s position to Witkoff and that there are grounds to be “cautiously optimistic” (WaPo)
He added that Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would plan to speak directly on a call (Reuters)
In public comments yesterday before meeting Witkoff, Putin repeated some of his longstanding war aims in Ukraine; a truce deal should be connected to removing the “root causes” of the war, Putin said (BBC)
He objected to allowing Ukrainian forces to peacefully withdraw from Russia’s Kursk region, where they began an incursion last August; Russia has gradually reclaimed swaths of that territory (NYT)
Notably, however, Putin did not repeat a previous demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions claimed by Russia since its 2022 invasion (NYT)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Putin’s statements “manipulative,” saying that Putin “wants to continue this war and keep killing Ukrainians” (WSJ)
Trump called Putin’s statements yesterday “very promising” but “incomplete” (FT)
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russia said yesterday that it had retaken control of Kursk’s largest town of Sudzha; Ukraine’s top commander said fighting was continuing around the town’s outskirts (FT)
U.S. Delegation in Moscow to Discuss U.S.- and Ukraine-Endorsed Proposal for Thirty-Day Truce
Ahead of the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the country’s Kursk region and called for the defeat of Ukrainian forces there (BBC).A foreign policy advisor to Putin told state television today that the cease-fire proposal was “nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military”; he said Putin would likely outline Moscow’s position in more detail later in the day (Reuters)
Ukraine Loses Foothold in Kursk Offensive
Ukrainian forces are reportedly retreating as Russian forces recapture territory in Kursk, including the town of Sudzha, which is situated near the Ukrainian border (Reuters)
Ukraine Agrees to U.S.-Proposed Thirty-Day Ceasefire
A joint statement by the United States and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, announced Ukraine’s acceptance of the interim ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine War; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the implementation of the ceasefire is now only subject to Russian approval (BBC)
The interim cease-fire would see a halt to “missile, drone, and bomb attacks, not only in the Black Sea but also along the entire front line,” Zelenskyy posted on X (X)
A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson did not directly comment on the proposal, saying Moscow expected to be briefed by U.S. officials about the conversation in Saudi Arabia in the coming days (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Washington announced that the United States will immediately resume security assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine following a suspension of military aid last week (CBS)
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Trump to reverse the pause in a call yesterday (Politico)
Ahead of the talks, Ukraine targeted the Moscow region with long-range drone attacks (NYT)
Zelenskyy Holds Talks With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh About Russia-Ukraine War
Riyadh hosted talks between Washington and Moscow last month and is due to host talks between Washington and Kyiv tomorrow (Politico)
Zelenskyy and Trump will not attend those; both countries’ top diplomats will participate (AP)
Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine is “fully committed to constructive dialogue” with the United States (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that $2.6 billion would be allocated toward purchasing 4.5 million drones, tripling the number purchased last year (Al Jazeera)
EU Leaders Commit to Biggest Military Build-Up in Decades
They signed on to the principles of a rearmament plan at a Brussels summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; in a separate declaration, all EU countries except Hungary pledged military and diplomatic backing for Kyiv (WaPo)
The rearmament plan envisions permission for countries to disregard debt limits for military spending and for the EU budget to directly fund defense capabilities; it would provide more than $160 billion in loans for member countries to use on military spending and utilize the European Investment Bank to mobilize private capital (EU Commission)
The political declaration, from which Hungary abstained, said there “can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine,” that any truce in the Russia-Ukraine war should be part of a process leading to a comprehensive peace agreement, and that any such agreement must come with “robust and credible” security guarantees for Ukraine; it added that peace must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity—and committed to continuing to arm and train Ukraine’s military (European Council)
The show of support comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine after a potential end to the war with Russia—and as Zelenskyy prepares for a meeting with U.S. officials next week (EuroNews)
EU Leaders Meet With Zelenskyy to Reinforce Its Support for Ukraine
The EU is weighing allowing countries to alter their debt limits to enable more military spending and issuing more than $160 billion in loans for military procurement (BBC)
Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was open to a discussion about using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect European allies from Russia (AP)
Reported Freeze on U.S.-Ukraine Intel Sharing
Washington halted its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, four unnamed officials told the Financial Times; Ukraine’s military has relied on that assistance to target Russian forces (FT)
This morning, an unnamed official in Kyiv told Bloomberg that Ukrainian authorities are still receiving U.S. intelligence (Bloomberg)
However, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox Business that the United States had paused both weapons shipments and intelligence support to Ukraine; Ratcliffe voiced hope that the pause would be lifted following Zelenskyy’s message to Trump (CNN)
In U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to Congress last night, he celebrated a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that said Kyiv was ready to come to the negotiating table to pursue a “lasting peace” as well as sign a deal on mineral rights (WSJ)
Trump said Russia has sent “strong signals that they are ready for peace” (Reuters)
Trump Freezes Aid to Ukraine
Trump ordered a temporary halt to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine until he determines that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making sufficient efforts toward peace with Russia, an unnamed White House official told reporters (WSJ)
Trump’s decision affects more than $1 billion worth of aid that is in the pipeline for delivery (NYT)
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Kyiv “will continue to work with the U.S. through all available channels” (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) today proposed nearly $160 billion in new loans to European countries for defense procurement, including aid to Ukraine (Politico)
European Leaders Hold Summit With Zelenskyy to Prepare Peace Strategy for Russia-Ukraine War
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted the summit, which included leaders of more than a dozen European countries as well as envoys from Canada and Turkey; European allies agreed to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine, while some like the UK committed to a more direct role in helping guarantee a peace deal (BBC)
France proposed an initial one-month truce “in the air, at sea, and on energy infrastructure” (FT)
UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said that “no agreement has been made on what a truce looks like,” however (AFP)
In light of Trump’s hesitance to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, European countries also discussed plans to increase their military budgets (Bloomberg)
Starmer said he had spoken to Trump and believes the diplomatic efforts would yield a “positive outcome” (AFP)
Zelenksyy left Washington on Friday without signing a mineral rights deal that would give the United States an economic interest in Ukraine; however, he told the BBC he was ready to move forward with signing it (BBC)
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to stop offensive cyber operations against Russia, unnamed current and former U.S. officials told the New York Times; those orders were given before last Friday, and are part of a “larger reevaluation of all operations against Russia,” according to the paper (NYT)
The Kremlin said that Washington’s foreign policy changes “largely align” with Moscow’s vision (WaPo)
UK Prime Minister Discusses Future of Ukraine With Trump at White House
Keir Starmer has said he would be willing to send UK troops to Ukraine as potential postwar peacekeepers, but U.S. backup support is also needed (AP)
While Trump has voiced his approval of the idea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pushed back against it yesterday, saying the presence of European troops would “further fuel the conflict” (Reuters)
Trump also said yesterday that he supports NATO’s Article 5, known as the mutual defense clause (NPR)
When asked if the United States would aid British peacekeepers if they were attacked in Ukraine, Trump said the British “can take care of themselves. But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British” (BBC)
Washington and Kyiv Agree on Terms of Mineral Wealth Deal
According to a version dated February 25 and seen by the Financial Times, the deal would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 percent of proceeds from “future monetization” of state-owned resources, including oil and gas (FT)
The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine; the U.S. stake in it remained unclear (Reuters)
UN General Assembly Resolution Condemning Russia’s Actions Passes Over U.S. Objections
That was the first in a series of votes at the United Nations that saw the United States split from European allies (WaPo)
Washington then abstained from supporting its own separate resolution on the war after European amendments added language identifying Russia as the aggressor (NYT)
Later, a U.S. resolution that called for a swift end to the war without saying who started it passed in the Security Council by ten votes to zero; five European countries abstained, while Russia and China supported the U.S. motion (AP)
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron tried to mend the growing tear in U.S.-Europe relations during an Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (NYT)
Macron pushed back against Trump’s statement that European countries had given Ukraine wartime aid as loans and were getting “their money back;” Macron interjected to say that Europe had indeed “paid,” and like the United States had provided Ukraine with a mix of grants, loans, and loan guarantees (CNN)
Macron said he backed Trump’s diplomacy with Russia but said that peace should not come through a “weak” agreement (Reuters)
Trump endorsed Macron’s proposal for a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine and said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept it; Macron called for the United States to back such a deployment as a security guarantee (AFP)
Marking the Third Anniversary of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have been killed, Russian forces occupy just under 20 percent of the country, and hundreds of billions of dollars in aid for Kyiv have been provided by the United States and other backers—who were united until now (France24;DW;Kiel Institute)
A dozen leaders from Canada and Europe are in Kyiv today to reaffirm their support (AP)
Meanwhile, Washington is preparing for its next round of bilateral talks with Moscow, while applying pressure at the United Nations and Group of Seven against language in joint statements that identify Russian aggression as the cause of the war (Reuters;WaPo;CNN)
French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting with Trump in Washington today after holding two European crisis meetings last week (NYT)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will follow him on Thursday; Macron and Starmer agreed to demonstrate “united leadership in support of Ukraine,” Starmer’s office said (UK PMO)
European Union (EU) leaders are scheduled to meet for an extraordinary summit on Ukraine and EU defense on March 6 (Reuters)
Zelenskyy Offers to Resign to Secure Ukraine’s NATO Membership
Zelenskyy’s comment comes after a week of escalatory rhetoric by U.S. President Donald Trump; given Trump’s oppositional stance toward the alliance, it is unlikely he would agree to the concession (NYT)
Talks between Kyiv and Washington have centered on a draft deal over Ukraine’s rare earth minerals that the Trump administration has framed as a way for Ukraine to pay back wartime aid (AP)
Zelenskyy had objected to a previous proposal for a $500 billion fund fed by Ukraine’s mineral wealth, saying it was higher than the United States’ contribution to Ukraine thus far and that he would “not sign what ten generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back;” he also said he pushed back on a U.S. proposal that Ukraine pay two dollars for every dollar of U.S. military aid (Politico)
On the eve of the third anniversary of the war, Russia launched a record 267 drones against Ukraine (CNN)
Ukraine’s air force detected three Russian ballistic missiles (Politico)
Trump Administration Asks Ukraine to Withdraw Annual Resolution Condemning War
According to an official and three European diplomats, the Trump administration asked Ukraine to tone down the resolution’s language in a way that was more sympathetic to Russia; Ukraine refused to alter the resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion (WaPo)
Separately, the New York Times reported Ukraine was considering a demand from the Trump administration to give half of the revenue from its natural resources to the United States; President Zelenskyy rejected a similar proposal last week, though the current version of the agreement appears more onerous (NYT)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a Financial Times op-ed that Washington was not proposing “taking ownership of physical assets in Ukraine” or “saddling Ukraine with more debt” and that the proposed deal would invest the United States “alongside the people of Ukraine” (FT)
Russia May Consider Using Frozen Assets Toward Ukraine’s Reconstruction
Sources stated that the Kremlin may agree to use $300 billion in sovereign assets frozen in Europe toward rebuilding Ukraine, granted that Russia can allocate a certain amount to the Ukrainian territory it already controls; sources varied on the exact division of funds, though one floated one-third invested into Russia-controlled territory and two-thirds allocated to the rest of Ukraine (Reuters)
President Trump Lashes Out at President Zelenskyy After Accusing Trump of Repeating Russian Propaganda
Zelenskyy “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” Trump posted on social media yesterday (WSJ)
After consultations with the leaders of France and the United Kingdom (UK), who voiced support for Kyiv, Zelenskyy is meeting with Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg today (AP)
Meanwhile, Hungary said it intended to veto a proposed expansion of EU sanctions on Russia; Budapest argued that further sanctions along with aid packages to Ukraine would disrupt peace talks and grant Kyiv more leverage in negotiations (Guardian)
France Hosts Another Emergency Meeting of European Leaders on Ukraine War
European countries are working to define a joint position after the Trump administration’s move to talk directly with Russia (AFP)
France and the United Kingdom have begun drawing up plans for a U.S.-supported air power “reassurance force” in postwar Ukraine, the Financial Times reported (FT)
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was considering joint bonds to rebuild its defense power (Bloomberg)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly floated the idea of using an unspent $97 billion in COVID-19 recovery funds to boost military readiness (FT)
The EU also agreed on a new package of sanctions on Russia (FT)
Yesterday, Trump appeared to falsely blame Ukraine for the war with Russia, saying “you should have never started it;” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump was pushing “a lot of disinformation coming from Russia” (FT)
United States, Russia Discuss Future of Ukraine War in Saudi Arabia
The countries agreed to “lay the groundwork for future cooperation” on improving bilateral ties and ending the war in Ukraine, a State Department spokesperson said; in addition to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Russian delegation (FT)
Today’s negotiations in Riyadh mark a dramatic shift in U.S. policy from the Joe Biden administration, which joined NATO allies in seeking to isolate Moscow economically and diplomatically (AP)
Ahead of today’s meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv “cannot recognize” a peace deal that it did not have a hand in negotiating (FT)
Public statements from Moscow today suggested hardened demands: a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson called for NATO to disavow a 2008 promise that Ukraine would join the alliance at an unspecified future date (Reuters)
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said the Kremlin was “categorically opposed” to European troops deploying to Ukraine, regardless of their role, Russian newswires reported (FT)
French President Emmanuel Macron Hosts Emergency Paris Gathering of European Leaders to Weigh Evolving Positions on Ukraine War
Trump administration officials said they anticipate Europe will take the lead on potential postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, leading Zelenskyy to call for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe;” Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain reportedly voiced reluctance to dispatch troops, however (FT)
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered to deploy British troops to Ukraine in the case of a lasting peace deal, as long as they received unspecified support from the United States (BBC)
Macron said that Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians would work together on “strong and credible security guarantees” for Kyiv, with discussions set to continue in the days ahead (X)
Trump Says Ukraine Would Be Involved in Talks on Ending the Russia-Ukraine War
His comments yesterday came afterUkraine and European allies pushed back against the prospect of bilateral U.S.-Russia negotiations without Kyiv—and against peace deal conditions laid out Wednesday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that were perceived to be disadvantageous to Ukraine’s negotiating position (NYT)
Hegseth declined to stand by those conditions when questioned about them yesterday, saying that “everything is on the table” regarding ending the war (FT)
Also yesterday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told the Wall Street Journal that Washington would consider sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if Moscow did not negotiate in good faith (WSJ)
Trump and Putin Call to Discuss Peace Negotiations
Yesterday, President Trump stated that he spoke with Putin to begin negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine, with Trump stating that he would “immediately” reach out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to begin talks (Reuters)
Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly after to discuss the possibilities of a “lasting, reliable peace,” Zelenskyy said (BBC)
Trump’s proposal of direct, in-person talks—with no mention they would include Ukraine or European allies—was a sharp U.S. shift on a Ukrainian war effort that Washington has backed with tens of billions of dollars (FT;CFR)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth Endorses Diplomatic End to War in Ukraine
The visit to Brussels comes just ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, with European allies eager to discuss how the Donald Trump administration will address the war (AP).Hegseth said that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was “unrealistic” and that NATO membership for Ukraine should not be part of a peace deal (Reuters)
Security guarantees would come from “capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said, but none from the United States; any peacekeeping forces should not be covered by NATO’s Article 5—which states that an armed attack on any NATO member is viewed as an attack on all allies—he added (WaPo)