Listed below are the important thing developments on the 1,093rd day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Right here is the state of affairs on Friday, February 21:
Preventing
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Ukraine’s air pressure shot down 87 drones, with 70 extra most likely misplaced to digital countermeasures, the nation’s army stated, because it responded to an in a single day assault through which Russia launched 160 drones. Two ballistic missiles additionally focused Odesa.
- Russian forces took again greater than 800 sq. kilometres (309 sq. miles) from Ukrainian troops in western Russia’s Kursk area, a Russian normal instructed the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. The world is about 64 % of the land initially seized by Kyiv, the newspaper claimed.
- Moscow’s forces attacked Ukraine’s vitality infrastructure within the southern Odesa area for a second time, Kyiv’s vitality agency DTEK stated. The primary assault left certainly one of Odesa’s districts with out heating and energy.
- Ukraine’s army stated Russian forces launched 161 drones in an in a single day assault on Ukraine, out of which 80 had been shot down and 78 had been “misplaced”. Moscow additionally attacked the northeastern Kharkiv area with 14 missiles.
Politics & Diplomacy
- Russian Central Financial institution’s Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated the financial institution was not concerned within the talks with america on lifting sanctions or the freeze on Russia’s overseas nation reserves.
- Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated any plans by the UK to ship troops to Ukraine as a part of a possible peacekeeping mission could be unacceptable. Such a transfer would contain forces from a NATO member state, which might have obligatory ramifications for Russia’s safety, Peskov stated. Russia’s overseas minister has branded such plans a “direct risk”.
- Peskov stated that Russia had agreed to renew dialogue with the US on “all parameters” concerning the conflict on Ukraine, together with prisoner exchanges.
- He additionally slammed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “inadmissible” and “unacceptable” remarks about different heads of state, after Zelenskyy accused US President Donald Trump of residing in a Russian-fuelled “disinformation bubble” when it got here to Ukraine.
- White Home Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz additionally criticised Zelenskyy’s feedback, saying Ukraine must “tone it down and take a tough look and signal that deal”, referring to the rare earth minerals that the US now needs for serving to Kyiv’s conflict effort.
- Ukraine started talks with the Worldwide Financial Fund’s staff engaged on the nation’s newest mortgage programme overview, which may unlock about $917m in new funds.
- Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s army intelligence company chief, stated he believes a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv may occur this yr. “How lengthy it will likely be, how efficient it will likely be – is one other query,” Budanov added.
- The Related Press information company reported that Zelenskyy and Trump’s particular envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg had a gathering in Ukraine, however {that a} joint information convention scheduled for afterwards was cancelled on the US’s request. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy stated the “detailed” assembly with Kellogg was “good” and “restore[d] hope.”
- NATO chief Mark Rutte stated any European safety ensures for Ukraine beneath a future peace deal would have to be backed by the US, “not with boots on the bottom”, however backup to make sure that the deterrence is there, he stated.
- Regardless of pressure with the US, Zelenskyy stated Kyiv was able to work with Washington to provide a “sturdy, efficient funding and safety settlement” when coping with Russia and a peace deal.
- “We have now proposed the quickest and most constructive technique to obtain outcomes. Our staff is able to work 24/7,” Zelenskyy stated.
- China’s Overseas Minister Wang Yi has instructed his G20 counterparts {that a} “window for peace” is opening for the Ukraine disaster, days after prime US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia.
