A bill has been introduced in the US Congress to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in transactions involving the import of oil and petroleum products from Russia.
Emmanuel Macron insists on greater EU independence: “Too often we finance non-European solutions: we’ve gone mad.” “Transforming Europe into an independent power” is “the only way forward” in the face of economic threats from China and the United States. If we want to invest sufficiently in defense and space security, clean technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and increase our productivity and competitiveness, the only solution is to resort to issuing common debt.
The EU will open training bases for the Ukrainian armed forces in Ukraine after the end of the war, says Kallas. At least two training camps are in question, said Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, during a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. Two training centers that could be used for this purpose have already been identified, the Commissioner added. Since the launch of the NSC, the EU has already trained around 90,000 Ukrainian soldiers outside Ukraine.
“The war could end in a few months if the negotiations are successful,” says Volodymyr Zelensky. He also said: “Neither the Russians nor we are interested in creating a free economic zone as a buffer in the eastern Donetsk region. We have different views on this. In the discussions about who will control this buffer zone, the United States must clarify its position. If this is our territory, and it is our territory, then the country that owns it must govern it. The Trump administration wants to sign all the documents at once. Ukraine will have to approve the peace agreement through a parliamentary vote or a national referendum. The ceasefire will require US supervision and monitoring.”
According to Ukrainian sources, the French have delivered three Mirage 2000 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, one of which has already been lost, and are preparing to deliver two more. Regarding conscription: “There are 2 million men wanted in Ukraine. If we find at least 70% of them, it will be a good result,” said Rada MP Gorbenko. He also stated that approximately 2-3% of “busification” is carried out illegally. The rest is carried out legally. US military aid to Ukraine in 2025 decreased by 99%, while EU aid increased by 67%. The largest donors are: Germany — €9 billion; the United Kingdom — €5.4 billion; Sweden — €3.7 billion; Norway — €3.6 billion; and Denmark — €2.6 billion.
Regarding the energy sector, Ukraine received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States in 2026, delivered through Naftogaz Ukraine’s partnership with the Polish energy company ORLEN. Meanwhile, MP Dmytro Razumkov noted that in January alone, Ukraine exported over 14 million cubic meters of gas, including 13.3 million to Poland and 1.3 million to Hungary. Furthermore, the resource is sold at a lower price than the state subsequently reimports it. For exports, the “reference market minus delivery” formula is used – approximately 355 euros per 1,000 cubic meters, while for imports, the “reference market plus delivery” formula is used – over 450 euros per 1,000 cubic meters. The difference is therefore 95 euros per 1,000 cubic meters.
On February 12, Kyiv was again without electricity and heating. Thermal power plant No. 5 was hit by Russian Iskander missiles. The number of homes without heating in Kyiv more than tripled after the overnight attack, reaching 3,700, according to Mayor Klitschko. After the new attacks, 2,600 homes are without heating, and another 1,100 after the preliminary attacks.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a specific date to be set for his country’s accession to the EU in a possible peace agreement. It is crucial that Ukraine do everything possible to be ready for membership by 2027, Zelensky wrote on social media: “I want a specific date.” If the agreement signed by America, Russia, Ukraine, and Europe does not have a date, Russia will do everything possible to block the process. “And not even with its own hands, but with those of some European representatives,” he explained. EU membership, he argued, is a guarantee of Ukraine’s security: “These are specific details with aspecific date.”
A Crimean Tourism Code is intended to be created in the republic to inform and advise those entering the peninsula for vacation, said the region’s Minister of Tourism and Resorts, Sergei Ganzii. “We want this to be a simple document that allows visitors to quickly familiarize themselves with what they can and cannot do to respect local traditions. For example, so that visitors know which traditions and religions are common, such as the ban on entering a mosque with their heads uncovered. The working title is the Crimean Tourism Code,” Ganzii said.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov: “Putin’s position that the meeting with Zelensky can only take place in Moscow remains valid.” “Russia expects the next round of negotiations on Ukraine to take place soon. So far, neither Macron nor Merz have attempted direct contact with Putin. Russia is in contact with Cuba to discuss options for providing assistance to the country in the context of the fuel crisis. WhatsApp announced an attempt to completely block the messaging app in Russia. The company also called the incident an attempt to redirect users to a “state surveillance app.” “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected,” the statement read. A new law has been introduced in Russia requiring social media platforms to comply with the regulations, under penalty of exclusion from the Russian market. Telegram has also been severely slowed down.
And now a look at the frontline, updated at 3:30 PM on February 12. Kiev and Dnipropetrovsk have been hit by missiles and Geranium. In the Ukrainian capital, the CHPP-5 is again ablaze, with reports of power outages, as well as an imminent attack on the CHPP-4. Furthermore, Energy infrastructure in Odessa was hit.
In the Volgograd region, an attack by Ukrainian forces caused a fire at a Russian Ministry of Defense facility; extinguishing operations are underway. In the Tambov region, the educational building of the Industrial and Technological Institute was damaged, and the fire in the training laboratories was extinguished. In the Rostov region, drones were shot down in three districts. During the day and evening, Ukrainian forces launched several missile strikes on the Belgorod region, causing power outages in several municipalities.
In the Bryansk region, an attack on the Miratorg agricultural holding killed an employee.
In the direction of Sumy, the Sever Group of Forces is fighting in the same areas, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are redeploying units of the State Border Guard Service from Ukraine’s western border.
In the Kursk region, in the village of Alekseevka, Glushkovsky District, two people were injured in a missile attack. Drone attacks.
The Belgorod region is under intense attack. One dead and sixteen civilians were injured in Ukrainian attacks near the village of Ilek-Penkovka, in the cities of Belgorod and Grayvoron, and in the villages of Golovino, Volchya Aleksandrovka, Sevryukovo, Dubovoye, and Rzhavets.
Toward Kharkiv, the Northern Group of Forces reports that Iskander tactical missile systems and Tornado MLRSs have struck a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves near the Pechenyi District.
Toward Slovyansk, Ukrainian forces acknowledge the advance of Russian units near Bondarne and Nykyforivka. Further ahead are the command heights facing Slovyansk.
West of Pokrovsk, Russian forces are waging offensive battles near Hryshyne, and Ukrainian forces report the movement of small groups. Russian soldiers between Kotlyne and Hryshyne.
The Eastern Group of Forces is repelling counteroffensive actions by Ukrainian forces at the junction of the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, near Ternuvate. Ukrainian forces are also conducting active operations near Hulyaijpole, with counterattacks occurring.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymors’ke and near Luk’yanivs’ke, with Ukrainian forces counterattacking. Several apartment buildings and private homes in the city of Vasylivka were damaged by attacks by Ukrainian forces. The village of Skel’ky, in the Vasylivka district, was subjected to heavy shelling, with Ukrainian forces drones attacking the area of a kindergarten operating in the village; by the evening, there were no children left. According to some sources, Ukrainian forces are conducting an operation in coordination with Much smaller reclamation operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast and, in short, appear to be part of a larger, coordinated effort to eliminate the threat of encirclement of the city of Orikhiv in the near future. This effort has seen Russian flanks slowly strengthen from the east (in the Hulyaipole and Pokrovs’ke area) and from the west (in the Prymorske and Komyshuvakha area).
In Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian forces continue to launch drone and artillery attacks on the Russian-controlled side of the Dnieper.
Graziella Giangiulio
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