Key developments on Feb. 20: * Zelensky-Kellogg meeting ends with no joint statements at US request, spokesperson says * Starmer to pitch plan on 30,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine to Trump, Telegraph reports * US refuses to co-sponsor UN resolution condemning Russia, resists labeling Moscow 'aggressor' in G7 statement, media report * Russia
The U.S. delegation reportedly rejected the demand, but concerns remain over what concessions President Donald Trump might consider to secure a deal on ending war with Russia.
Despite a long history of controversial and bombastic statements, U.S. President Donald Trump still managed to stun those watching this week by calling President Volodymyr Zelesnky a "dictator" and blaming Ukraine for Russia's full-scale invasion. Trump's comments were the latest example of increasingly hostile rhetoric towards Ukraine that has,
"In previous years, the United States has consistently co-sponsored such resolutions in support of a just peace in Ukraine," a source told Reuters.
"I think the Russians want to see the war end, I really do. I think they have the cards a little bit, because they've taken a lot of territory. They have the cards," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19 launched an astonishing attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" with a "very low" approval rating that refuses to hold elections in Ukraine. The comments came a day after similar remarks made at the White House, in which Trump falsely
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Feb. 19 that he had been briefed on the outcome of U.S.-Russian talks in Riyadh, expressing willingness to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Answering a journalist's questions at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago about whether the meeting would take place before the end of the month, Trump said "probably" without mentioning a specific date.
The second line of the Ukrainian national anthem — “Fate/luck still smiles on us, fellow Ukrainians” — sadly no longer holds. Much worse, we should extend this retreat of luck to Europe itself: Fate/luck no longer smiles on us, fellow Europeans. The situation is now so serious that the same
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 18 that Russia was prepared to end the "barbarianism" in Ukraine.
Russia on Feb. 18 ended years of political isolation sparked by its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as a delegation of Kremlin officials met with their U.S. counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to end the very war it started. The talks ended with little in the way of
As many others have now concluded, this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) was pretty remarkable. Indeed, it may have been as defining an event as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s infamous 2007 speech, which marked a shift toward a more openly hostile Russian policy toward the West. That shift
The alleged plan, which reportedly includes a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine, and a final peace agreement, was revealed by Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to bring peace to Ukraine. But his approach cannot work, because it fails to address the problem of security guarantees. There will be no peace as long as Ukraine must face Russia on its own. But perhaps this flaw can be overcome.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to provide American military backing for a proposed European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, arguing that only a U.S. security guarantee can deter Russia from launching further aggression.
Russia's UN Representative Vasily Nebenzya claimed that a ceasefire and freezing hostilities alone would not resolve the conflict, outlining Moscow's conditions for a settlement.
Presidential Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva stressed the urgency of appointing a European representative, saying, "It should be a quickly made decision. I hope right after the Paris meeting. We should act, not reflect."
After years of political isolation sparked by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss how to bring an end to the war. Neither Ukraine nor Europe has been invited to the main discussion, setting off alarm bells in
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, about the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and why he thinks Ukraine should not be overly concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's first steps toward peace negotiations
After pledging for months to swiftly end Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has started to take first steps toward peace negotiations this week. After holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 12, Trump declared that Ukraine peace talks were to start
President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech on the second day of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15 was met with several rounds of applause. The Ukrainian president called for the creation of an "army of Europe" and emphasized the changes in relations between Europe and the U.S. during Donald Trump's
A 28-year-old U.S. citizen was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after Russian authorities allegedly found food items containing cannabis derivatives in his luggage.
The U.S. administration is ready to hand Russia a win in its brutal war against Ukraine. That’s the only conclusion we can make after following the news this week. If anyone held onto hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump would be tough on Russia’s Vladimir Putin,
Putin's team will reportedly include Sergey Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
The following op-ed is based on a broader report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), published on Feb. 11, 2025. Some peace deals lead to peace; others lead to more war. The Minsk II deal, aimed at ending Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, instead
During a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelensky reportedly told Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is pretending "he wants a deal only because he is afraid of you," Axios reported on Feb. 13, citing a Ukrainian official and three other sources familiar with the call.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 13 that he would "love" to see Russia readmitted into the Group of Seven (G7), calling Russia's 2014 expulsion from the group a "mistake."
After promising to quickly resolve the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials’ actions on Feb. 12 appeared to undermine Ukraine’s leverage in peace talks, renewing fears that his plans for a quick resolution could amount to a victory for Russia. Trump announced he
"Great talks with Russia and Ukraine yesterday. Good possibility of ending that horrible, very bloody war," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that "work will be started quickly."
The White House declined to confirm whether it had received China's proposal but reportedly dismissed it as "not viable at all."
There are still many questions about what to expect from the Trump administration’s approach to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. With some in Congress questioning continued military aid and loans for Ukraine, the application of economic statecraft measures —such as sanctions, export controls, and tariffs — could be used
