Listed below are the important thing developments on the 1,093rd day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Right here is the state of affairs on Friday, February 21:
Combating
- Russian forces took again greater than 800 sq. kilometres (309 sq. miles) from Ukrainian troops in western Russia’s Kursk area, the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported, quoting Colonel Normal Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian Normal Employees’s major operational directorate. The realm is about 64 p.c of the land initially seized by Kyiv, the newspaper claimed.
- Moscow’s forces attacked Ukraine’s vitality infrastructure within the southern Odesa area for a second time, Kyiv’s vitality agency DTEK stated. The primary assault left one in every of Odesa’s districts with out heating and energy.
- Ukraine’s army stated Russian forces launched 161 drones in an in a single day assault on Ukraine, out of which 80 have been shot down and 78 have been “misplaced”. Moscow additionally attacked the northeastern Kharkiv area with 14 missiles.
Politics & Diplomacy
- Russian Central Financial institution’s Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated the financial institution was not concerned within the talks with the US on lifting sanctions or the freeze on Russia’s overseas nation reserves.
- Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated any plans by the UK to ship troops to Ukraine as a part of a possible peacekeeping mission could be unacceptable. Such a transfer would contain forces from a NATO member state, which might have crucial ramifications for Russia’s safety, Peskov stated. Russia’s overseas minister has branded such plans a “direct risk”.
- Peskov stated that Russia had agreed to renew dialogue with the US on “all parameters” concerning the warfare on Ukraine, together with prisoner exchanges.
- He additionally slammed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “inadmissible” and “unacceptable” remarks about different heads of state, after Zelenskyy accused US President Donald Trump of residing in a Russian-fuelled “disinformation bubble” when it got here to Ukraine.
- White Home Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz additionally criticised Zelenskyy’s feedback, saying Ukraine must “tone it down and take a tough look and signal that deal”, referring to the uncommon earth minerals that the US now needs for serving to Kyiv’s warfare effort.
- Ukraine started talks with the Worldwide Financial Fund’s group engaged on the nation’s newest mortgage programme assessment, which might unlock about $917m in new funds.
- Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s army intelligence company chief, stated he believes a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv might occur this yr. “How lengthy it is going to be, how efficient it is going to be – is one other query,” Budanov added.
- The Related Press information company reported that Zelenskyy and Trump’s particular envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg had a gathering in Ukraine, however {that a} joint information convention scheduled for afterwards was cancelled on the US’s request. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy stated the “detailed” assembly with Kellogg was “good” and “restore[d] hope.”
- NATO chief Mark Rutte stated any European safety ensures for Ukraine beneath a future peace deal would have to be backed by the US, “not with boots on the bottom”, however backup to make sure that the deterrence is there, he stated.
- Regardless of rigidity with the US, Zelenskyy stated Kyiv was able to work with Washington to supply a “robust, efficient funding and safety settlement” when coping with Russia and a peace deal.
- “We have now proposed the quickest and most constructive solution to obtain outcomes. Our group is able to work 24/7,” Zelenskyy stated.
