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Ukraine-Russia
Ukraine: Hungary, Slovakia blackmailing electricity
Hungary and Slovakia have been accused of blackmail by Ukraine over the supply of electricity to the nation. Under years of Russian strikes, Ukraine's power grid has struggled, with thousands being left without electricity, heat and water multiple times. Under these conditions, Ukraine has been largely reliant on emergency electricity supplies from both Slovakia and Hungary, but these are now under threat too. Both of the neighbouring nations still utilise Russian oil, which has been cut off from them since the end of January, following a Russian drone strike that hit oil pipelines in Western Ukraine and stopped the oil from travelling to the two countries. Now, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that unless Ukraine resumes the shipments of Russian oil through this territory, emergency electricity supplies would come to a near immediate response. Taking to social media, Fico said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was refusing “to understand our peace-oriented approach and, because we do not support the war, he is behaving maliciously toward Slovakia”. Kyiv has hit back in a statement of its own from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, calling the demands “provocative, irresponsible”. “Ukrain
Ukraine-Russia
Europe to send new aid packages to Ukraine by 24 Feb
Ukraine’s European allies will send new energy and military aid packages by 24 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy met with the Berlin Format, a group of leaders from European NATO members, during the Munich Security Conference. He also addressed the conference over the weekend, saying that European and transatlantic unity “is the best interceptor against Russia’s aggressive plans”. “In Munich, we agreed with the leaders of the Berlin Format on specific packages of energy and military aid for Ukraine by February 24. I am grateful to our partners for their readiness to help, and we count on all deliveries arriving promptly,” wrote Zelenskyy on X. 24 February is the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These aid commitments follow the European Parliament’s approval of a EU€90 billion loan package for Ukraine last week. The European Union will supply €60 billion to bolster Ukraine’s defenses and €30 billion in financial assistance across 2026 and 2027, with repayment due once Ukraine receives war reparations from Russia. During Zelenskyy’s address in Munich, he also called for the signing of legally binding security guarantees from the United States and Europe. He rei
Ukraine-Russia
Power lost for thousands in Ukraine after Russian strikes
Thousands of Ukrainians are without power and water after a huge attack from Russian drones and missiles. On Thursday night, Moscow launched the attack on Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa. In the capital, approximately 3,500 apartment buildings were affected, being left without heat. Private energy firm DTEK reported that over 100,000 families were now without electricity. This is the latest strike in Russia's ongoing winter campaign against Ukraine, targeting the power grid repeatedly. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 25 missiles were fired in the attack, 24 of them ballistic, and thanked foreign leaders who were helping his nation protect itself against these strikes. “Life must be better protected from these strikes. The most effective defense against Russian ballistic missiles is Patriot systems, and missiles for these systems must be supplied every single day," he wrote. “I am grateful to the leaders who understand this and are helping.”
Ukraine-Russia
Ukraine attempts to accelerate peace talks with Russia
Ukraine is attempting to accelerate efforts to end the four-year war with Russia and capitalise on the United States-brokered talks before other factors come into play, the campaigns for the U.S. Congressional midterms elections in November. “Only Trump can end the war,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters. This comes as another round of peace talks comes to an end in Abu Dhabi between officials from Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. While the negotiations ended without any breakthroughs, both sides agreed to hand over 157 prisoners of war. The talks have been based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plans and Sybiha said only “a few” points remain unresolved. He described these points as "the most sensitive and most difficult, to be dealt with at the leaders' level”. Key issues, such as land, are slowing down the peace talks as Russia maintains its demand that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk. Ukraine also wants control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - the largest in Europe - which is in Russian-occupied territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the U.S. proposed a new round of talks in Miami next week, which Kyiv agreed
Ukraine-Russia
Ukraine-Russia talks end without breakthrough
Ukraine and Russia have completed their second day of United States-led talks in Abu Dhabi without any breakthrough on ending the war. Both sides agreed to hand over 157 prisoners of war, as confirmed by officials of Ukraine and the U.S., as well as Russia’s Ministry of Defence. While Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, said the prisoner swap showed that “sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine”, significant work remains in peace negotiations. The most recent meeting lasted three hours and followed a round of trilateral negotiations the day before that ran for five hours. Progress was also reached in strengthening the U.S.-Russian engagement. According to the U.S. military’s European Command, the two sides agreed to re-establish high-level military-to-military dialogue, which has been suspended since 2021. Before the conclusion of the most recent talks, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media that “things are moving in a good direction”, with active work to restore Russia’s relations with the U.S., including within the framework of a U.S.-Russian working group on the economy. However, he criticised what h

Ukraine-Russia
'Productive' start to Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Ukraine and Russia have concluded the first day of in-person peace talks in Abu Dhabi, brokered by the United States. The lead Ukrainian negotiator, Rustem Emerov, said that the first day was “productive” and that their team was preparing a report for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia was represented by a team of high-level military officials, and the U.S sent their usual group of Ukraine-Russia peace delegates, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. This “working-group format” style of negotiations comes after two days of trilateral meetings prior, and months of the U.S. brokering for peace between the two other nations. "The work was substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions," said Umerov. The war, which started in 2022 when Moscow invaded, is the longest-running conflict in Europe since World War II.
Ukraine-Russia
Zelenskyy: US security pact text ready
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a United States document outlining security guarantees for Ukraine is fully prepared, with Kyiv now awaiting confirmation of the time and location for its signing, as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue. Speaking on Sunday (Monday AEDT), Zelenskyy indicated that weekend negotiations involving Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi, alongside U.S. mediators, had yielded some progress, even though no agreement was finalised. "For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees of security from the United States. The document is 100% ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place when we will sign it," Zelenskyy told a news conference during a visit to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. "The document will then be sent for ratification to the U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian parliament," he said. The comments come as diplomatic channels remain active nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the ongoing conflict. On Friday and Saturday, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi for their first trilateral talks that included U.S. mediators, focusing on Washington’s proposed framework a
Ukraine-Russia
Land deals a possibility ahead of latest US-Russia talks
A new peace talks meeting between the United States and Russia has been announced, with ‘land deals’ expected to be discussed. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed more talks would be taking place on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the request of the Kremlin. This will be the latest in a string of meetings between the two nations, as the Trump administration continues to work on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, outlined in a 28-point peace plan. Points already outlined in the plan include the lifting of sanctions against Russia, no NATO troops in Ukraine, but that it would still receive “reliable security guarantees”, and recognised Russian sovereignty over annexed regions, such as Crimea. Land remains one of the major obstacles in the peace deal, with Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy having firmly ruled out giving up Ukrainian territory during his own peace talks with the U.S. However, ahead of Thursday's meeting, Witkoff confirmed that the multifaceted peace plan was “down to land deals now” and that would be on the table this week.
Ukraine-Russia
Russian strikes leave much of Kyiv without power
Around 60% of Kyiv has been left without power a day after Russian strikes on energy facilities. Residents in Kyiv have been living with only a few hours of power a day, or none at all, during winter since a recent surge in Russian attacks on a grid battered by nearly four years of missile and drone strikes. In a post to X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said repair crews and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, employees of energy companies and municipal services are fully engaged to deal with the issues. “As of this morning, about 4,000 buildings in Kyiv are still without heat, and nearly 60 percent of the capital is without electricity,” he said. “According to reports from city authorities, the resources involved are sufficient, but time is needed. “I do not agree with this assessment – additional measures and additional resources are needed.” The temperature in Kyiv was minus 12 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and only climbed slightly in the afternoon. Some have complained on social media that they have been left without electricity or heating for more than a day. Both the Kharkiv region energy infrastructure and the southern region of Odesa have been hit by the strikes, with energy company DT