It has been almost three years since the Ukraine’s large -scale invasion began by Russia by Vladimir Putin. The latter said, this Sunday, February 23, having an “unchanged” desire to strengthen his army in the face of the “fast changes” in progress in the world. A way, according to him, to guarantee the “present and future sovereignty” of Russia. On the ground, the forces of the Kremlin also launched overnight on Saturday to Sunday 267 drones against Ukraine, “a record” since the start of the conflict, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Info to remember
⇒ Volodymyr Zelensky ready to leave the presidency in exchange for membership of Ukraine at NATO
⇒ The Kremlin says that Russia will never “sell” the occupied Ukrainian territories
⇒ London will unveil on Monday an “important sanctions” against Russia
“Dictator”: Volodymyr Zelensky not offended by Donald Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that he was not offended by the fact that his American counterpart Donald Trump recently described him as “dictator”. “I would certainly not describe the words used by the American head of state as a compliment. Someone would be offended by the word dictator if he was a dictator,” said Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in kyiv. “I am a legitimately elected president,” he added, assuring not wishing to stay “in power for decades”.
Volodymyr Zelensky wants “security guarantees” from the United States
“I wish a lot from Trump a mutual understanding,” said Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in kyiv on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. “Security guarantees from Trump are essential,” he added, while the American president adopted certain points of the Kremlin rhetoric, against the backdrop of Russian-American talks, notably on the war in Ukraine and from which kyiv was excluded.
Donald Trump’s emissary expects an agreement on “this week” minerals
Steve Witkoff, the envoy of American president Donald Trump for the Middle East, also become a negotiator for Ukraine, said this Sunday on CNN that he expected to have an agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian minerals be signed with the United States “this week”. “We are progressing,” said Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in the Ukrainian capital, saying that civil servants of the two parties had been in contact with the agreement earlier during the day. “I will not sign something that will be paid by ten generations of Ukrainians,” said the Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelensky ready to leave the presidency “immediately” in exchange for membership of Ukraine at NATO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready this Sunday to leave his “immediately” position in exchange for Ukraine membership at NATO, to which Washington seems to oppose increasing background between kyiv and Donald Trump. “If you really need that I am leaving my post, I am ready,” said the Ukrainian president at a press conference in kyiv, “I can exchange (the presidency) for (a membership) to NATO,” he added, when President Trump described him this week as “dictator”.
Russia announces a meeting with American diplomats “at the end of the week” next
Moscow announced the holding of a meeting with American diplomats “at the end of the week” next week, after first Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18 in the wake of a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. “We are open to contacts with the United States, in particular on the subjects who are angry in our bilateral relations. We are expecting real progress at the meeting scheduled for the weekend”, said this Sunday Sergei Riabkov, Russian Foreign Minister, quoted by the TASS State Agency. This meeting will be “at the level of departments of departments” of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, he said.
The Kremlin says that Russia will never “sell” the occupied Ukrainian territories
The Kremlin warned this Sunday that Russia will never “sell” the Ukrainian territories it occupies, about 20 % of Ukraine, when Russians and American have brought bilateral discussions to put an end to the conflict. “The most important thing for us is that people (in these territories, editor’s note) have long decided to join Russia. And nobody will never sell these territories,” said spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, on state television, meaning that Moscow plans to make any concessions on these military conquests. He also deemed “promising” the dialogue “between two presidents [Vladimir Poutine et Donald Trump] really remarkable […]. It is important that nothing comes to hinder the implementation of their political will “.
Zelensky calls for the “unity” of the United States and Europe with a view to “lasting peace”
“We have to make our best in view of lasting peace and just for Ukraine. This is possible with the unity of all partners: we need the strength of all Europe, the strength of America, the strength of all those who want lasting peace,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion and Donald Trump.
Ukraine: Switzerland could send 200 soldiers in the event of a truce
Switzerland could send 200 soldiers to Ukraine in the event of a truce, said the head of the Swiss army in an interview published this Sunday by the newspaper Blick. Thomas Süssli also notes that it is necessary to “distinguish between the commitments of Peace-enforcement (taxation of peace, editor’s note) and the commitments of Peacekeeping (peacekeeping, editor’s note) “.”Peace-enforcement means that peace must be imposed by arms. Switzerland does not participate. Peacekeeping presupposes that Russia and Ukraine agree to stop hostilities and accept that the UN will send a peacekeeping force to guarantee peace, “said the chief of the Swiss army.
“If we were ordered to participate in a mission, we would develop a concept of training to train our militia members and prepare them for engagement. Then we would start to recruit and train the military,” he explains. “We could probably provide around 200 soldiers in nine to twelve months,” he added, specifying that in peacekeeping, as in Kosovo, where Swiss soldiers are present, “the use of the weapon is only authorized in a situation of self-defense”.
Russia launched 267 drones against Ukraine overnight
Russia launched on the night of Saturday to Sunday 267 drones against Ukraine, “a record” since the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, said the Ukrainian Air Force, on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian -scale Russian attack. “267 enemy drones have been spotted in the Ukrainian sky, which is a record for a single attack” since the start of the invasion, said the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Iouri Ignat on Facebook. According to him, 138 were intercepted by air defense and 119 others, lures according to this source, were “lost” without doing damage.
However, he did not specify what he had happened to the last ten. But the army reported, in a separate press release published on Telegram, that several regions, including that of kyiv, had been “affected”, without giving more details. A Russian missile attack killed a man on Saturday evening and made five injured in Kryvyi Rig, in the center of Ukraine, the regional authorities announced this Sunday.
Vladimir Putin still wants to strengthen his army
“Today, in a context of rapid changes in the world, our strategy of strengthening and developing the armed forces remains unchanged,” said Vladimir Putin during a speech on the occasion of the day of the defenders of the fatherland in Russia. “We will continue to improve the combat capacities of the army and the navy, their preparation for combat as an essential component of the security of Russia (and) guaranteed of its present and future sovereignty,” he supported.
The Kremlin master also said he wanted to give his armed forces “new modern models” in terms of weapons and equipment. In November 2024, his troops had drawn an experimental and unknown hypersonic missile against Ukraine, called “Orechnik”.
The soldiers in Ukraine defend “national interests”, according to the Russian president
The Russian soldiers engaged in Ukraine defend the “national interests and the future of Russia”, welcomed Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday on Sunday, on the occasion of the day of the defenders of the fatherland in Russia and on the eve of the third anniversary of the assault of Moscow against his neighbor. “Today, at the risk of their lives and by showing courage, they resolutely defend their native land, the national interests and the future of Russia,” he said in a video published by the Kremlin.
London will reveal an “important sanctions” against Russia
It’s time to “tighten the screw against Putin Russia,” David Lammy, the British Foreign Minister, said in a statement on Sunday on Sunday. “Tomorrow, I plan to announce the biggest package of sanctions against Russia since the days that have followed the start of the war, to erode its military machine and reduce the income that fuels destruction in Ukraine,” he added. The European Union must also adopt a new salvo of sanctions against Russia on Monday, including, including a ban on importing Russian aluminum into the EU.
London has already sanctioned more than 1,900 individuals and entities in response to the launch of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022. “It is a critical moment in the history of Ukraine, Great Britain and all of Europe,” said David Lammy, whose country is a key support from kyiv. “This is why it is time for Europe to redouble its support for Ukraine,” he continued.
He recalled that the United Kingdom was committed to providing 3 billion pounds (3.6 billion euros) of military aid per year to kyiv and was ready to send British soldiers “as part of a peacekeeping force if necessary”, in the event of a cease-fire. “We are working with the United States and our European partners to achieve lasting and fair peace, being clear that it can not happen concerning Ukraine without Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky greets London’s “leadership” concerning war
Volodymyr Zelensky praised the United Kingdom this Saturday for its “leadership” about the war with Russia, following the promise of “unwavering support” to Ukraine that the British government Keir Starmer gave him on the phone. “I spoke with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,” said the Ukrainian president in an evening speech. “We have coordinated our positions and our diplomacy. We appreciate the fact that the United Kingdom undertakes to maintain its leadership in the protection of life and simply normality,” he added.