02.03.2025

Reuters: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday announced a new 1.6 billion pound ($2 billion) deal which would allow Ukraine to purchase 5,000 air-defence missiles using export finance.

Canada has announced new sanctions against 10 individuals and 21 entities, including paramilitary organizations and their leaders, to help counter Russia’s reliance on third-party organizations and countries to advance its political and military objectives in Ukraine.

Reuters: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, a vital step for Washington to be able to offer security guarantees that Kyiv says are essential to deter Russia.

Forbes: Forty-one percent of Republicans view Russia as either “friendly” or an “ally,” a CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found, as nearly half of Americans view Trump as backing Russia in its war against Ukraine.

AFP: The Kremlin said in remarks aired Sunday that the United States's dramatic shift in foreign policy largely aligns with its own vision.

Reuters: Europe urgently needs to rearm and member states must be given the fiscal space to carry out a surge in defence spending, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday after a meeting about support for Ukraine.

AFP: It is "very, very important" to avoid the "risk that the West divides" over Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned in London on Sunday as European leaders gathered for crisis talks.

Reuters: Ukraine said on Sunday it condemned a "breach of territorial sovereignty" by employees of the U.N. nuclear watchdog who visited the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine via Russian-occupied territory.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia is spreading disinformation that accuses Ukraine's military intelligence of trying to instigate an armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, HUR said on March 2.

Forbes: Ukrainian forces are successfully counterattacking along critical sections of the front line, contradicting Trump’s recent claims about Ukraine’s position.

FT: A former spy and close friend of Putin has been engineering a restart of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe with the backing of US investors, a once unthinkable move that shows the breadth of Trump’s rapprochement with Moscow (archive).

ISW: Putin, not Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, remains the main obstacle to a lasting peace agreement on Ukraine.

01.03.2025

The Kyiv Independent: Norwegian fuel supplier Haltbakk Bunkers will not deliver a "single liter" of fuel to the U.S. Navy until Trump "is gone," the company's owner told media outlet Kystens Noeringsliv on March 1 after Trump's highly public dispute with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

AFP: The UK and Ukraine on Saturday signed a loan agreement worth £2.26 billion to support Ukraine's defence capabilities. The loan is to be paid back with the profits of immobilised sovereign Russian assets.

The Kyiv Independent: Lithuania has already invested 20 million euros in purchasing weapons for Kyiv from Ukrainian producers and will produce arms in cooperation with Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on March 1.

Reuters: French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence for Europe, hinting France could help to protect other EU countries, given the security threats posed by Russia.

Euractiv: Norway is considering tapping its sovereign wealth fund to dramatically increase its support for Ukraine amid signs that US military backing is waning.

Politico: As European leaders prepare for a high-stakes summit in London on Sunday, populist Hungarian PM Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Fico are openly challenging the EU’s united front on Ukraine, pushing positions that echo the Kremlin’s stance.

The Guardian: The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments.

Reuters: Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv rallied around President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday after his angry exchange with Trump at the White House.

28.02.2025

NBC News: The State Department this week terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine's energy grid from attacks by the Russian military.

CNN: Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon.

The Kyiv Independent: Hungarian PM Orban reiterated his opposition to Ukraine's accession to the European Union on Feb. 28, warning that it would "destroy" Hungary, the country's public broadcaster Hirado reported.

Reuters: Romanian prosecutors on Friday called for the temporary arrest of a mercenary who stashed illegal weapons and cash at home and 20 other people with links to the far-right frontrunner in last year's canceled presidential election pending an investigation.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces destroyed a thermobaric munitions depot in Russian-occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast overnight on Feb. 28, the General Staff reports.

Reuters: Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country.

AP News: Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Politico: Former French President François Hollande said the United States government under President Donald Trump is "no longer an ally."

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