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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Trump on Tuesday floated the idea of replacing a visa program for foreign investors with a so-called "gold card" that could be bought for $5 million as a route to American citizenship. He added it is possible Russian oligarchs could qualify for the gold cards.
AP News: Latvia’s foreign minister warns that Putin will try to achieve in peace talks what he hasn’t been able to accomplish in his war against Ukraine — weaken the United States and restore control over his smaller neighbor.
Reuters: Norway is to provide financing for Ukrainian purchases of its natural gas, Ukraine's Naftogaz company said on Tuesday, against the background of a rise in Ukrainian imports as the war with Russia batters the country's energy system.
ISW: Putin implicitly acknowledged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the legitimate president of Ukraine while promoting a new information operation that aims to destabilize Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian military from within.
More News
CNN: President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to Washington, DC in the coming days, after the United States and Ukraine agreed to terms on a deal over natural resources and reconstruction, according to a Ukrainian official.
Politico: Senior State Department officials are compiling a list of additional exemptions to the foreign aid freeze for Ukraine that could give the country access to some economic and security-related assistance currently on hold.
The Kyiv Independent: Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed on Feb. 25 that Poland has ordered 5,000 Starlink terminals for Ukraine.
Economists for Ukraine non-profit: In three years of full-scale war, the total monetary value of US aid delivered to Ukraine’s government amounts to $50.9 billion, of which $18.3 billion comprise military aid.
Politico: Trump’s pick for deputy Defense secretary declined to say Russia invaded Ukraine when pressed Tuesday by senators and defended massive Pentagon firings — a sign he’s unlikely to challenge the dramatic changes underway at the department.
Voice of America: Thailand is emerging as one of Russia’s main pipelines for machine and computer parts with the potential for military use, with a growing number of local companies accused of helping Moscow evade Western export controls meant to cripple its war on Ukraine.
AFP: UK leader Keir Starmer said Tuesday that he would host fellow leaders for talks about Ukraine this weekend after returning from seeing Trump at the White House.
Reuters: Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union's Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's Defense Ministry has authorized a new high-speed FPV drone, called Vidmak (Witcher), designed to intercept and destroy Russian vehicles, the ministry announced on Feb. 25.
The Moscow Times: French automaker Renault would need to reinvest 112.5 billion rubles ($1.29 billion) to regain its former Russian assets, the head of Russia’s top manufacturer, Avtovaz, said Monday.
The Kyiv Independent: Russian forces attacked the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 25, killing one person and injuring at least 16, including four children, Ukraine's National Police reported.
Bloomberg: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will ask for Indian PM Narendra Modi’s assistance to enforce sanctions on Russia when the two leaders meet this week in New Delhi (archive).
The Kyiv Independent: Poland is preparing its 46th military aid package for Ukraine worth 200 million euros, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Feb. 25, according to the Polish media outlet Interia.
Reuters: Europe should move from freezing Russian assets to seizing them, British foreign minister David Lammy said on Tuesday, hardening Britain's position on how the West should use bonds and other securities frozen since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
NBC News: Trump was incorrect when he said that Russia will accept European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, the Kremlin signaled Tuesday.
Reuters: The estimated cost to rebuild Ukraine's economy after Russia's invasion has risen to $524 billion, nearly three times its expected 2024 economic output, the World Bank, United Nations, European Commission and the Ukrainian government found.
RFE/RL found that Russian companies transported Ukrainian rapeseed to Belarus, where a company called Agroprodukt has been exporting growing volumes of the finished product to Latvia and Lithuania.
Reuters: Russia will not be readmitted into the Group of Seven nations as Trump has requested, German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies said.
worth mentioning
White House official pushes to axe Canada from Five Eyes intelligence group
Norway and Denmark eye increased defence cooperation
UK hikes defense spending to 2.5 percent by cutting aid
France could send nuclear-armed jets to Germany
Poland is ready to host US troops if Germany doesn’t want them, president says
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