The United States intends to negotiate a new START from a position of strength, says US Secretary of State Rubio. He noted that Washington is interested in reducing global nuclear threats, but does not intend to accept agreements that harm US interests or turn a blind eye to violations in the name of an agreement. The fate of START was also discussed during meetings in the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on new priorities for US arms sales, Reuters reports. “Now, US arms purchases will be prioritized for countries that invest the most in their own defense and have strategic importance on the world map.” US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker previously stated that until a peace agreement is reached, the United States will continue to sell weapons to NATO allies, who will then transfer them to Ukraine.
The IAEA expressed concern: “Nuclear safety is seriously threatened: all nuclear power plants in Ukraine have stopped generating power following the attacks. The cause is the failure of the main high-voltage substations that transmit electricity from the nuclear power plant to the power grid.”
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the Russian embassy over the weekend and protested the attacks on power plants in Ukraine. “The Ministry notes that by choosing clearly civilian targets, such as a bus carrying miners, the Druzhkovka market, an ambulance, and heating and electricity companies, Russia is once again demonstrating that its participation in the negotiations is merely a farce, as it has no interest in ending the destruction of the Ukrainian people or in quickly ending this aggression against a sovereign state,” the Ministry noted.
The European Union has learned that the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia will include a complete ban on shipments of Russian oil, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The new restrictions will include: “A ban on maintenance and other services for LNG tankers and icebreakers; Blacklisting 20 Russian regional banks; A ban on supplies to Russia of goods “from tires to tractors” and cybersecurity services worth a total of €360 million; Blacklisting 43 oil tankers; A ban on the export of materials for the production of explosives; and A ban on the purchase of essential metals, chemicals, and minerals from Russia worth €570 million.”
“This week, EU leaders will hold a series of key meetings that could determine the future of the region,” Politico reports. “The agenda includes support for Ukraine, defense, economic competitiveness, and the EU’s role in the world, against a backdrop of weakening ties with the United States.” Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta told the magazine that the coming days will demonstrate whether “Europe can reverse course and become truly united, fully mature, and independent.” He stated that, just as the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 “made Europe what it has become over the past 35 years,” so now the EU countries “must do the same again.”
Massive attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure by Russia on February 7. Ukrenergo activated a request for emergency assistance from Poland. All nuclear power plants in government-controlled territory have been forced to halt power production, the national energy company Ukrenergo reported, due to attacks on the electrical substations that power the plants.
“Negotiations are not beneficial for Ukraine at this time. If we hold out until spring, the situation will be different. We must stop them on the battlefield, reduce losses, and shoot down 80-90% of their drones. Then it won’t be Russia saying, ‘Give us back the territories,’ but Ukraine saying, ‘Give us back the nuclear power plant, the Kinburn Spit, and Nova Kakhovka,'” said Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada’s National Security Committee.
The United States is proposing to Ukraine and Russia to end the war by the summer and is promoting a clear timetable for negotiations, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The Americans say they want to conclude everything by June and will do everything to end the war,” he noted. “During the talks on February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi, , the technical aspects of possible ceasefire monitoring were discussed in the event of a political decision to end the war, particularly with the participation of the United States.
He continues: “Intelligence showed me the ‘Dmitriev plan’ for $12 trillion in economic cooperation between the United States and Russia.” According to Zelensky, these agreements could include issues related to Ukraine, particularly its sovereignty and security. “We are clearly demonstrating that Ukraine will not even support the likely agreements between the parties that concern us without us.”
Ukraine’s Finance Ministry reported that, starting in 2022, external financial assistance for the “continued performance of state functions” will amount to approximately $52 billion. The money was earmarked for the payments of civil servants and employees to ensure the “independent functioning of the state apparatus.”
From Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: “A new round of talks on Ukraine will take place soon.” He clarified that there is no specific date for the new talks yet. The Kremlin spokesman also stated that there are no plans for a new round of talks in the United States; according to him, no such discussion had taken place.
On the morning of February 7, TASS reported that General Vladimir Alekseyev, who suffered an assassination attempt, had regained consciousness in the hospital. “The operation was successful.” Alekseyev was subsequently placed in a medically induced coma; he has now regained consciousness and is conscious. At this point, we can cautiously say that the threat to his life has passed,” the agency’s source stated.
The Foreign Minister also addressed the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, effectively denying reports of agreements already reached: “Russia has accepted the US proposal on Ukraine in Anchorage, and if we approach it humanely, the issue should be resolved,” Sergei Lavrov said.
A breakthrough on Ukraine is only possible if the agreements reached in Anchorage are respected, echoed Dmitry Peskov. He emphasized that the Kremlin does not want to publicly go into the details of the agreements reached; discussions should take place behind closed doors.
The Russian air fleet numbers nearly 3,000 units, including over 1,200 aircraft, Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin announced during a meeting on the occasion of Civil Aviation Day. “Currently, our fleet numbers nearly 3,000 units, including over 1,200 aircraft. They are based at 225 airfields,” he said.
And still on the military front, Russia exports Kalibr cruise missiles and is ready to offer its foreign partners a wide range of weapons, said Rosoboronexport General Director Alexander Mikheev. “As for the Kalibr missiles for export, they are part of the Kalibr-PLE and Kalibr-NKE integrated missile systems, installed on submarines and surface vessels supplied by Rosoboronexport to the navies of several countries,” Mikheev said ahead of the World Defense Show 2026, to be held in Riyadh.
Between February 7 and 8, the organizer, the perpetrator, and a third accomplice of the attack against the GRU’s number two, Vladimir Alekseyev, were identified and one of them arrested in Dubai. On Saturday evening, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dmitry Peskov reported. “The The Russian leader thanked the UAE president for the Emirati assistance in arresting the suspect in the attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Alekseyev.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported at a press conference: “Following the investigative measures conducted within the framework of the criminal case opened by the Investigative Commission into the attempted assassination of General Vladimir Alekseyev, First Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the FSB has identified the accomplices in this crime: Russian citizens Viktor Vasin, born in 1959, detained in Moscow, and Zinaida Serebritskaya, born in 1971, who left for Ukraine,” the FSB emphasized. According to the FSB, Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba, born in 1960, was also arrested in Dubai with the assistance of UAE partners and handed over to the Russian side. “He is the direct perpetrator of the crime,” it said. The FSB.
According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation: “The attacker was supposed to go to Romania after Dubai. He was paid monthly in cryptocurrency.” According to the investigation, Zinaida Serebritskaya is suspected of organizing the attempted assassination of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Directorate, Alekseyev. She fled to Ukraine. She lived with Alekseyev in the same residential complex. According to information from Serebritskaya’s social media, she has been living in Moscow since at least 2023, as evidenced by numerous photos taken in the city center, although she is wearing the same clothes. She last appeared online two days ago.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on February 9. A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in the Belgorod region due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ constant shelling of the region’s power plants, the frequency of which is preventing their rapid restoration. It has been decided to drain the water from the radiators to prevent them from breaking due to the cold. The pre-installed heating plants are in operation, and the regional authorities are in contact with the federal center.
At night, Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions. In Odessa, port and gas distribution infrastructure were hit, and Ukrainian air defenses struck civilian targets. Missiles were also fired at Vasylkiv Airport in the Kyiv region.
Ukrainian drones were shot down in the Tula and Kursk regions. During the day, sirens sounded in the Krasnodar region.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian forces used drones and injured at least three people.
At the border crossing between the Kursk and Bryansk regions, the Northern Group of Forces captured another village: Sydorivka in the Sumy region. Earlier, Russian forces had crossed the border, causing problems for Ukrainian forces in Belaya Bereza and Komarovka. In the southeast, fighting has begun for Myropillya, and the Ukrainians are counterattacking. Russian forces have struck a railway in the Sumy region: a locomotive and an overhead line were damaged, according to UZ.
In the Kharkiv sector, the advance of the Northern Group of Forces is evidenced by posts on Ukrainian social media; fighting is intense, despite air strikes and Russian Solntsepyok missiles operating daily on Ukrainian troops.
In the direction of Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian social media sources acknowledge the advance of Russian troops from the southwest (north of Yablunivka).
In the eastern part of the Zaporizhia region, Ukrainian forces are continuously counterattacking in the direction of Ternuvate-Prymors’ke and Velykomykhailivka-Berezove, with Ukrainian armored vehicles constantly ablaze.
In the Kherson region, shelling by Ukrainian forces has been reported on a market in Kakhovka, injuring three people.
Graziella Giangiulio
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