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Reuters: Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy, said on Monday that no one would impose a peace deal on Kyiv and that questions about whether Washington would provide guarantees for any future European peacekeepers would be addressed later.

The Telegraph: Trump’s confidential plan to put Ukraine in a stranglehold: "If this draft were accepted, Trump’s demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty" (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine has called on European countries to appoint a high-level representative for potential negotiations to end Russia's war, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 17, citing Presidential Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva.

Reuters: European leaders meeting in Paris for emergency talks on Monday called for higher spending to ramp up the continent's defence capabilities but remained split on the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal.

Ukrainska Pravda: The potential size of a military contingent that Europe could send to Ukraine to oversee a possible ceasefire is estimated at 25,000 to 30,000 troops.

The Kyiv Independent: French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine, warning that a ceasefire without them risks collapsing like the failed Minsk agreements.

AFP: Europe's security is at a turning point, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, as she arrived in Paris for an emergency meeting to address Washington's shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine.

Politico: Any pause in fighting in Ukraine would allow Russia to rebuild its forces and launch a confrontation with European Union countries, Latvia's state security service warned Monday.

The Guardian: Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not recognise any peace agreements made without its participation, as top Russian and US officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia for high-stakes talks on the war in Ukraine.

AFP: Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Turkey on Tuesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara, the presidency said on Monday.

Politico: The European Union’s College of Commissioners will travel to Kyiv next week after top European leaders were left out of Trump’s talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia, the European Commission announced Monday.

The Moscow Times: An organization representing hundreds of shopping malls in Russia has called on international fashion retailers Uniqlo, H&M and Inditex to return to the country, citing struggles faced by their local replacements.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones, operated by the Special Operations Forces and Security Service of Ukraine, hit the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai and the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in the Kavkazsky District of Kuban overnight on Feb. 17.

Bloomberg: Russia will likely keep a reduced military presence in Syria, achieving a key objective for Putin after the downfall of the Assad regime he backed (archive).

Reuters: Some 20 Italian websites, including of banks and airports, were targeted by alleged pro-Russia hackers, Italy's cybersecurity agency said on Monday, linking the attack to recent tensions between Rome and Moscow.

The Kyiv Independent: Soldiers of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Special Forces Regiment on Feb. 17 released footage of what they claim was a successful operation to clear an industrial enterprise behind Russian lines.

Reuters: Sweden would consider contributing to post-war peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday, adding that negotiations would need to progress before any such decision was taken.

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