The US Permanent Representative to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statements regarding the deadline for ending the conflict in Ukraine, which the United States is allegedly insisting on. According to the Ukrainian president, this deadline is set for June: “You know… Zelensky mentioned a June deadline. I don’t think the United States has proposed anything like that,” he said, speaking at an event during the launch of the Munich Security Conference.
Washington does not intend to dismantle NATO and is not seeking to change the international order, the US Permanent Representative to the Organization, Matthew Whitaker, stated. According to the diplomat, Washington “only wants to balance the distribution of defense burdens among the different NATO countries, pushing European allies to do more, to be capable and strong, because it is this strength that guarantees peace.”
The EU is evaluating options for including guarantees of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in a potential agreement to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, Bloomberg reported. Options under discussion include “prioritizing Kyiv’s membership protections, as well as immediate access to some of the rights of a member state. At the same time, the EU could give Ukraine a clear deadline for the actions it must take to complete the formal accession process.”
The EU has proposed imposing sanctions against third-country ports for the first time. The port of Kulevi in Georgia and the port of Karimun in Indonesia will be subject to restrictions as part of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, Reuters reported, citing a document submitted by the European Commission to EU countries for approval. Restrictions will be imposed on transactions involving Russian oil. In addition, 42 oil tankers, as well as banks in Tajikistan, Laos, and Kyrgyzstan, will be subject to EU sanctions. The EU also plans to lift sanctions on two Chinese banks.
Paris has restored communications with Moscow “at the technical level” and offered to resume dialogue with Russia to several European colleagues, says French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said he had proposed to “several European colleagues” to resume dialogue with Russia.
The company will not escape “businessification.” We only have enough mobilization resources for a year and a half, says Rada MP Gorbenko. He also stated: Three issues must be resolved: “The Special Investigative Committee, those who have not updated their data, and those who have been arrested. And 90% of the National Police, prosecutors, 100% of the National Bureau of Investigation (NABU), and the State Investigative Bureau are arrested. The issue of young people between 18 and 22 absolutely must be addressed. The army is outraged, and workers are leaving Ukraine. There are proposals within the Verkhovna Rada and the government for these young people, who are currently allowed to travel abroad, to perform a kind of military service in the rear for 6-12 months. A principle must be introduced: if a person does not update their data, everything in the financial system is automatically seized.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky once again complained about Ukraine’s air defense: “The Air Force must act much more quickly to protect border areas from drones. Ukraine does not have time to wait for individual Air Force units to begin their operations.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia that European countries are still ignoring Moscow’s proposal for mutual non-aggression guarantees. For this reason, the diplomat said, the European Union cannot participate in the conflict resolution process in Ukraine. “Meanwhile, the Europeans are persistently seeking a place at the negotiating table. But this position completely rules out not only constructive, but even any meaningful participation in the peace process. I’m not even talking about negotiations,” Grushko said.
A Vedomosti source familiar with the Russian-US negotiations on Ukraine said Russia was ready for some territorial “compromises” in Alaska (Anchorage in August 2025) (but not on the status of Donbass), including the size of the Ukrainian armed forces. A prerequisite was the establishment of broader cooperation with the United States, including economic cooperation. “But for now, Washington is neither willing nor able to exercise the necessary pressure on Kiev, and is also trying to exclude Russia from global energy markets and continues to resort to sanctions,” which calls into question the relevance of the “Anchorage Spirit.” According to the source, Moscow is still ready to continue negotiations, but only if the situation on the ground improves and the United States acts more decisively to exert pressure on Ukraine and the European Union.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the resumption of contacts between Russia and France at the technical level. The Russian presidential spokesman also stated that these contacts, if desired and necessary, could contribute to quickly establishing dialogue at the highest level.
Peskov also stated: “Russia has taken note of Turkey’s statement on the possible need to acquire nuclear weapons; Russia considers the non-proliferation regime to be the cornerstone of nuclear security; Russia expects responsible behavior from nuclear-armed states to prevent a global nuclear proliferation race; The Kremlin has taken note of Macron’s statements on the need to restore relations, which Moscow welcomes; Moscow has long argued that resetting relations between Russia and France is counterproductive and harmful to all parties; problems in international relations will not resolve themselves, and confrontation will not help resolve them.
Sergei Lavrov also gave an interview to NTV: “The expiration of the New START Treaty should not be overdramatized; The treaty has been inactive for the past three years; Russia will monitor US actions after the expiration of the New START Treaty, but Moscow will not take any action towards escalation; The details considered by the military during the negotiations on Ukraine are numerous and significant; everything must be worked out to the smallest detail; The “Mertz and Pistorius” in Europe are restless and officially declare the need to prepare for war with Russia; The United States recognizes that the territorial issue between Russia and Ukraine must be resolved based on the realities that have developed, taking into account the will of the people; Trump has contacted all the countries that buy oil and gas from Russia; he wants to dominate the global energy market; The European plan for Ukraine provides that no one will recognize anything and Kiev will receive a sharp increase in military aid; The Russian Foreign Minister called Trump’s recognition of Russia’s interests in non-expansion of NATO a huge step; The United States makes no secret of its desire to eliminate problems in Europe so it can focus on the fight against China.
The Russian government has approved a resolution mandating the connection of civilian drones to the state information system ERA-GLONASS starting March 1, 2026. The resolution establishes the legal basis for the operation of a unified drone identification system, the Ministry of Transport commented. Online identification and tracking of drones via ERA-GLONASS had previously been successfully tested in 35 regions, the ministry said in a statement. The digital platform allows for tracking, managing information on operators and owners, as well as flight duration and speed.
The FSB has arrested another accomplice in the attempted assassination of General Vladimir Alekseyev. This is Pavel Vasin, son of the already arrested Viktor Vasin, who helped spy on the Russian military, the FSB Public Relations Center reported. According to the FSB, “Russian citizen Pavel Vasin, born in 1981,” Vasin supplied previously arrested Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer Lyubomir Korba and his father, Viktor Vasin, with vehicles for surveillance and the seizure of weapons from a depot, and also purchased technical monitoring equipment: a dashcam and a tracker, used for surveillance and determining the routes of targets.” Furthermore, the FSB noted that he helped gather information on the residential addresses and vehicles of SBU targets using internet applications and search engines. Pavel Vasin confessed and reported the surveillance of two other Russian Ministry of Defense employees.
And now a look at the front line as of 3:30 PM on February 10. Russian forces launched air strikes overnight on the town of Chilla, in the Izmail district of the Odessa region, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.
In the Krasnodar Krai, air defense activity was reported yesterday on Gelendzhik and a drone alert was issued for coastal cities. During the day, Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Kaluga region and border regions. An aerial target was shot down over Belgorod at night.
In Bryansk Oblast, on a highway near the village of Podyvotye, Sevsky District, an FPV drone hit a car, injuring one person. At Bryansk airbase, at least three Tu-95MS aircraft were deployed at Engels-2 airbase; two Tu-95MS aircraft were deployed at Olenya airbase; and one Tu-160M aircraft was deployed at Engels-2 airbase. Given that such a large number of Iskander-M ballistic missiles have been delivered to OTRK facilities in Bryansk Oblast, the threat to the city of Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast for the next 2.5 days is high, including from Kh-101 and Kh-22/32 cruise missiles launched from strategic bombers.
In the Kursk region, in Khomutovka, property was damaged by drone debris. In the city of Rylsk, shops were damaged by drone debris.
In the Sumy region, after the capture of the Chugunovka force group near the border with the Belgorod region, Ukrainian forces attempted to wage a “flag war” on the outskirts of the village, but were unsuccessful. Fighting continues in the Sumy districts, Krasnopil’s’kyi District, and Hlukhivs’kyi District. There are no changes in the Tetkino and Glushkovo sectors, but Russian artillery is targeting the border village of Ryzhivka.
In the Belgorod region, intensive restoration of the regional energy sector is underway after further air strikes. One person was injured in a Ukrainian drone strike.
Fighting continues in small towns near Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi. It is too early to speak of an imminent capture of the town.
Southeast of Kostyantynivka, small infantry groups from both sides are engaged in counterattacks.
Near the junction of the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted counterattacks near Ternuvate. The Russian Eastern Group of Forces claims to have repelled 10 Ukrainian counterattacks, including those advancing in armored columns. Ternuvate is in the gray zone. In the Hulyaijpole sector, Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian military equipment. Near the village of Zaliznychne, Ukrainian forces continue to put up fierce resistance.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymors’ke, near Richne, and Malokaterynivka.
In the Kherson region, seven civilians were injured following attacks by Ukrainian security forces. Numerous villages were also hit by shelling and drone strikes.
Graziella Giangiulio
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