Talks for the United States-Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations begin today in Geneva. “At least 15 people will represent Russia at the talks,” a TASS source reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Galuzin will be part of the Russian negotiating team. The United States will be represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Russia is ready to discuss with the United States and European countries the introduction of external governance in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations for the holding of elections, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said. “It is ready to ensure that there are no attacks on election day in Ukraine if Kiev decides to hold elections,” Galuzin specified in an interview with TASS. Mendisky, unpopular with the US and NATO, will be part of the Russian delegation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said: “We don’t know if the Russians are serious about ending the war. They say they are.” “The United States has no intention of withdrawing from negotiations on Ukraine. This conflict will be resolved through negotiations,” not on the battlefield, Rubio stated.
The Secretary of State, however, canceled a meeting with European leaders in Munich regarding Ukraine, the FT reports.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Ukraine: “China is not a direct party to the conflict. We do not have the final say. What we are doing is facilitating peace negotiations. The root causes of the Ukrainian crisis must be addressed.” The Chinese Foreign Minister emphasized that the door to dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis is “finally open” and all parties involved “should seize this opportunity to reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: “NATO is perhaps stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Berlin Wall.” “If a peace agreement is reached in Ukraine, for which we are all working hard, Russia’s rearmament will only accelerate. And the threat to Europe will not diminish, but increase. Therefore, the allies must provide a comprehensive response to this danger,” said British Prime Minister Starmer. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: “NATO depends on the ability to observe and trust the United States. Both Europe and the United States must provide Ukraine with credible security guarantees.” Finnish President Stubb at the Munich Security Conference: “He (Putin) wanted to make Ukraine Russian. It became European. He wanted to prevent NATO expansion. He got Finland and Sweden. And he wanted to cut our defense spending, which will now rise to 5%. When the war began, Russia conquered 12% of Ukrainian territory. That was 12 years ago. Since then, it’s been 8%. In the last two years, it’s been 1%. In December, Ukraine managed to kill 34,000 Russian soldiers. They haven’t managed to replace them with new ones. Keep doing what you’re doing, and in the end, you will prevail and win this war.”
“Europe is not ready to promise Ukraine a date for EU accession,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said at the Munich Conference. In her view, the member states are not currently ready for this.
Macron: “Even if an agreement on Ukraine is reached, we will still have to deal with an ‘aggressive’ Russia. We will not surrender to the Russians. Russia has become economically isolated. We will guarantee Ukraine’s defense and must not set a bad example to the world. Europe is an important player.” Macron announced that he has decided to establish a direct channel of communication with Russia. “The channel of communication will be completely transparent for Ukraine, its European partners, and its American allies.”
Ukraine must be able to strike deep into Russia, because Russia knows only force, says Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen. “Our problem in Ukraine is that there are still red lines in the use of Western weapons. We cannot win the war if our hands are tied.”
The rules are changing in Poland, according to Polskie Radio: “Poles authorized to fight for Ukraine will be exempt from punishment: the country’s Sejm has approved an amnesty.” Polish law prohibits citizens from fighting alongside another state: this carries a prison sentence of up to five years. Now, both those fighting alongside Ukraine and those already convicted will be exempt from punishment.
The Ukrainian Rada is discussing the introduction of harsher sanctions for draft evaders. “There are many abuses and omissions in military service: there’s even talk of going to the military registration and enlistment office when called up. Draft evaders shouldn’t live better than those punished for failure to pay child support,” said MP Venislavsky.
Agreements cannot be reached at the expense of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Regarding the 20-point plan, three issues remain under consideration by the leadership: Kiev has specific proposals on these, Sybiha stated. “In the next round of negotiations, we hope to no longer learn historical lessons. The time has come to act, deliver facts, and take decisive steps… Trump’s personal involvement offers an opportunity to move forward,” the Ukrainian Foreign Minister noted.
The Prime Minister’s words were echoed by those of President Volodymy Zelensky: “Ukraine is not losing. And I think the Trump administration realized this. Perhaps it was a surprise to them, because Russian propaganda is targeting them too,” Zelenskyy said. “The Russians must leave all of our territory. Now that’s impossible. But if we talk about a demarcation line that doesn’t run through cities, someone has to leave. It’s possible in the steppe. In the cities, it’s nonsense. If we leave, it will be a dead zone. Proposals for a ‘free economic zone’ simply mean giving up our territory. There is no justice in that. There is no greater victory for Trump than ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. It’s the largest land war in the last ten years. This is the number one victory for his legacy.” “Any agreement must be signed by presidents and ratified by parliament or by referendum. Our people have been through war: they deserve to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.'”
“Ukraine received a 15-year security guarantee from the United States, but it wants 30 or 50. We need to see what the Trump administration is willing to accept,” Zelensky said. He also stated that Ukraine hopes to end the war this year.
Seven thousand Colombian mercenaries are on the Ukrainian front: more than any other foreign country, according to the BBC. According to Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi: “More than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia. Russia is sending North Korean troops to Ukraine. They are exploring new ways of waging war across all sectors, using drones, artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and conventional weapons.”
Kiev is on the brink of disaster, Vitali Klitschko, mayor of the Ukrainian capital, told the Financial Times. He said the capital is in this situation due to the damage to critical infrastructure that has occurred in the last two months. The article notes that city residents have faced widespread power, heating, and water outages. Klitschko believes his long-running political feud with Volodymyr Zelenskyy is only complicating the situation.
Former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, implicated in the Timur Mindich case, was stopped in Ukraine while attempting to cross the border, Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing a source. According to him, border guards removed the former official from the train overnight at the request of NABU and SAPO.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:30 PM on February 16. Intense Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory. The Temryuk district of Krasnodar Krai was hit, and Russian efforts to put out a second fire (2,000 square meters) continue. Belgorod’s power plants have been attacked again, and in the Bryansk region, the attacks have resulted in heating and electricity shortages in five municipalities and some areas of Bryansk.
Ukrainian monitoring channels reported overnight the use of Zircon missiles by Russian forces in the Kyiv region.
In the Sumy region, the Northern Group of Forces is engaged in counterattacks. Ukrainian forces are counterattacking in Krasnopil’s’kyi district. A clash between Russian and Ukrainian troops has occurred.
In the Belgorod region, in the village of Nikolskoye, an FPV drone hit a car; a man was hospitalized for injuries sustained in a mine explosion.
In the Kharkiv region, the Northern Group of Forces is increasing the intensity of air strikes and Geranium and Solntsepek missiles. Ukrainian forces continue to focus on missile attacks against civilian infrastructure in the Belgorod region.
West of Severs’k (direction Slov”jans’k), Russian forces are fighting in the Holubivka area, breaking through along the Pryvillya-Nykyforivka line. From the south and east, Russian forces are breaking through to Fedorivka Druha.
In Kostyantynivka, Russian forces are conducting sustained attacks on residential areas south and southwest of Kostyantynivka, continuing to assault neighborhoods on the southeastern outskirts of the city.
West of Pokrovsk, Russian forces are fighting near Hryshyne.
The Vostok Group of Forces announced that “Guardsmen of the 218th Tank Regiment of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division of the 5th Army have” captured the village of Tsvitkove, in Zaporizhia Oblast. Another defensive area, covering an area of over 8 square kilometers, has been taken under control, despite continuous enemy counterattacks.
On the Zaporizhia front, the Russian army continues to face difficulties despite Moscow’s propaganda.
Graziella Giangiulio
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