Emmanuel Macron has said that he is “very sceptical” that ongoing talks to end the war in Ukraine will lead to an agreement, as Europe marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The French President said there was “no willingness” on the Russian side to stop fighting despite negotiations taking place between Ukrainian, Russian and American officials in the past month.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing of Kyiv’s allies, he called for an increased support for Ukraine and criticised Hungary’s opposition to the EU’s €90 billion aid package.
The meeting was held after Volodymyr Zelensky said that “Putin has not achieved his goals” in an 18-minute address to mark the war’s fourth anniversary.
In a television broadcast on Tuesday morning, he said that Vladimir Putin still has not broken the Ukrainian people in a defiant message to the public.
Zelensky is due to welcome foreign dignitaries, including British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, to Kyiv for ceremonies later today.
Key Points
- Kremlin says goals of Russia's invasion not yet achieved
- Zelensky marks war anniversary with declaring defence of Ukraine's independence
- UK sanctions Russian state-owned oil giant Transneft
- Ukraine says it has recaptured eight settlements in major battlefield success
- Ukraine post-war reconstruction will cost $588bn, World Bank says
EU: We will force through 90 billion euro loan 'one way or another' despite Hungary opposition
15:40 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council president Antonio Costa are currently holding a press conference at a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
Costa said Moscow must accept it will not win this war, adding that he anticipates significant progress in Ukraine’s accession path to the European Union in the foreseeable future.
Asked about the 90 billion euro EU loan for Ukraine, von der Leyen said it would be delivered “one way or another”, after threats by Hungary that it will block the loan.
She added that a new “winter energy package” of 920 million euros would be provided to Ukraine for 2026-2027.
Explosion in Moscow kills police officer on anniversary of war on Ukraine
15:29 , Alex CroftAn unidentified attacker detonated an explosive device next to a police patrol vehicle in central Moscow early on Tuesday, killing himself and one officer, while injuring two others, officials have confirmed.
The incident occurred just after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital’s downtown area, according to Moscow’s Interior Ministry branch. The assailant reportedly approached a traffic police car before detonating the device, resulting in the immediate death of an officer and hospitalisation for two colleagues.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into the attack. No details regarding the assailant’s identity, potential motives, or further specifics have been released.
Explosion in Moscow kills police officer on anniversary of war on Ukraine
UK will be safe haven for Ukrainians as long as war continues, says minister
15:02 , Alex CroftUkrainians who have fled the ongoing war in their home country with Russia are being given longer to renew their stay in the UK.
The Government said it had trebled the period during which people can apply to extend their stay to 90 days after Ukrainians raised concerns that 28 days was too short a window and caused undue stress and uncertainty about their legal status in the UK.
The announcement came on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Migration minister Mike Tapp told Ukrainians the UK “will remain your safe haven for as long as the war continues”.
There were 278,529 visas issued between the Ukraine schemes opening in 2022 and the end of September last year, according to the latest Home Office data published in November.
Mr Tapp said: “We have listened to the concerns of the Ukrainian community and acted to offer greater peace of mind. This country will remain your safe haven for as long as the war continues.
“Britain will always offer sanctuary to those in genuine need.”
South Africa says 11 of 17 men lured to fight for Russia will return home soon
14:29 , Alex CroftSouth Africa's government has said that 11 of a group of 17 men who were lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine were set to return home soon, after an initial four landed back in the country last week.
A further two remained in Russia, with one in a hospital in Moscow, President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said in a statement.
Ramaphosa raised the fate of the 17 men, who sent distress calls to the South African government in November after getting trapped in Ukraine's Donbas region, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month.
Reports of African men being lured into Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine's front line have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved.
A Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers last week estimated that more than 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited to fight on Russia's side in the war in Ukraine. Kenya's foreign minister has said he plans to visit Russia to address the issue.
Ukraine frontline mapped: The 745 miles at the heart of the war with Russia
14:01 , Alex CroftOn the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that it was “only a matter of time” before his country recovered all of its lost territory.
But for months, opposing forces have been locked in a stalemate along a 1,200km (745-mile) frontline as developments in tactics and technology slow progress to a crawl.
Diplomatic efforts are at a similar impasse, with neither side appearing to have the momentum on the battlefield to force the other into making concessions.
Ahead of an expected fourth round of direct talks this week, Russia still clings to its maximalist demands for territory, while Ukraine says it cannot and will not give its eastern provinces to the aggressor.
The Independent’s James Reynolds reports:
Ukraine front line mapped: The 745 miles at the heart of the war with Russia
Putin claims Ukraine threatening energy pipelines
13:52 , James ReynoldsDuring his televised speech, Putin also accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the peace process by threatening Russian energy pipelines.
He claimed Ukraine was working with Western intelligence agencies to threaten infrastructure.
Zelensky: Only by visiting Ukraine can Trump understand who must be pressured
13:31 , Alex CroftIn his address earlier today to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky called for Donald Trump to visit Ukraine.
“Only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one's own eyes our life and our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain – only then can one understand what this war is really about. And because of whom. Who the aggressor is here and who must be pressured,” the Ukrainian president said in the address, as he stressed the importance of a visit by Trump.
He said Ukraine is defending life, adding that it is “not a street fight” but an “attack by a sick state on a sovereign one”.
Zelensky added: "Putin is this war. He is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place. So that there can be real peace.”
Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to torpedo peace process
13:30 , James ReynoldsSpeaking at the FSB’s annual assembly, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin blames Ukraine of trying to torpedo the ongoing peace process.
He said that Ukraine and its allies are so determined to defeat Russia that they are pushing themselves to the edge - something “they will regret”.
He also accuses blames a claimed spike in recent terror attacks in Russia on Ukraine and Western intelligence agencies.
Russia boasts drone unit's work in battlefield as war enters fifth year
13:05 , Alex CroftSinn Fein opposing EU loan for Ukraine is like supporting surrender, says Irish Taoiseach
12:46 , Alex CroftIreland’s premier has said opposing a 90 billion euro EU loan for Ukraine would amount to backing the country’s surrender to Russian aggression.
On the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said it was “extremely important” to show solidarity with Ukraine.
It comes after Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Fein opposed the 90 billion euro EU loan to Ukraine, comprising 60 billion euro in military funding.
At the weekend, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said two Sinn Fein MEPs voted against it because “we also know that spending tens of billions more of taxpayers’ money on more and more weaponry is not the way to resolve this conflict”.
“The full international effort has to be around diplomacy, peacemaking, there has to be a diplomatic and political solution arrived at.”
Speaking on his way into Cabinet on Tuesday morning, Mr Martin said Sinn Fein’s approach was “tantamount to asking Ukraine to surrender” and that Russia would “be thrilled” with that approach.
Ukraine importing electricity from neighbouring countries despite Slovakia halting supply
12:25 , Alex CroftUkraine, whose power plants have been significantly damaged by Russian bombing, continues importing electricity from neighbouring countries, transmission system operator Ukrenergo said on Tuesday, after Slovakia moved to stop emergency supplies.
Prime minister Robert Fico said on Monday that Slovakia's power grid operator would refuse Ukrainian requests for emergency supplies until oil flows resume via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs from Russia through Ukraine to central Europe.
Slovakia and Hungary have been cut off from Russian crude through Druzhba since damage to the pipeline last month, and blame Ukraine for the prolonged outage.
"Electricity is being imported from all EU countries neighbouring Ukraine and Moldova, in accordance with the results of auctions for the distribution of available interconnection capacity," Ukrenergo said on Telegram.
Telegram has violated Russian law many times, Kremlin says
12:05 , Alex CroftRussian authorities have recorded a large number of violations by the Telegram app and are taking steps in response to its alleged unwillingness to cooperate with Moscow, the Kremlin said.
Russia has launched an investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov as part of a criminal case on the "facilitation of terrorist activities", state-run media reported earlier on Tuesday, citing the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Telegram, which is widely used in Russia and across the former Soviet Union, has in recent days denied a host of allegations by Russia that the app is a haven for criminal activity and compromised by both Western and Ukrainian intelligence services.
The Independent View | Russia has only pain to show from four years in Ukraine – but Europe must do more
11:47 , Alex CroftWhen Vladimir Putin launched his cynically euphemistic “special military operation” against Ukraine four years ago, it was supposed to last about a week. In that time, according to the Kremlin’s plan, Volodymyr Zelensky – a supposed “Nazi” who just happens to be Jewish – was expected to flee Kyiv to some comfortable bolthole in the West.
Safe to say, things have not gone to plan. Ukrainian territory has been occupied, too often after being razed to the ground, and force has been used to the most obscene degree against the civilian population.
Yet, after some successful Ukrainian counterattacks, Russia today occupies less of Ukraine’s sovereign territory than in the early stages of the war, and its military has proved to be poorly trained, badly led, ill equipped, undisciplined, and not entirely loyal – as was demonstrated by the rebellion staged by the Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, which came surprisingly close to toppling the Russian president himself.
Read The Independent’s full editorial here:
Russia has only pain to show from four years in Ukraine – but Europe must do more
Macron 'very sceptical' about prospects for immediate peace
11:26 , Alex CroftEmmanuel Macron has told the Coalition of the Willing meeting that he is “very sceptical” about the possibility of a short-term peace in Ukraine.
He says it is good to follow up on peace talks, but calls on leaders to be “lucid” about Russia’s willingness to reach a peace deal.
“I completely agree with you, Keir and Volodymyr: we have to make very clear now about first the recent successes on the ground, but at the same time the fact that militarily, economically, and strategically the Russians are being defeated at this very moment” he said.
Starmer and Macron chair 'Coalition of the Willing' meeting
11:21 , Alex CroftBritish prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron are chairing another meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, marking the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in the meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky said the coalition must “prepare for any other kind of challenges from the Russian side”.
Starmer recalls visiting Bucha in early days of the war
11:02 , Alex CroftSir Keir Starmer spoke of three impressions of “four long years of suffering in Ukraine” as he marked four years of the war in an address to Cabinet.
The Prime Minister said: “You will have your own images and memories of that suffering. I’ve got three etched in my mind.”
He said he went to Bucha near Kyiv in the early days of the war, where he saw “the roads and the ditches in which Ukrainian civilians were handcuffed with their hands behind their back, blindfolded and shot in the head, the bodies left in the road”.
“The second etched in my memory was last year when I went to one of the busiest hospitals in Kyiv and saw for myself the incredibly awful burns on some of those who had returned from the front line. Burns the like of which I’d never seen in my life before.
“And at the same time, I went to a primary school and these children who were five, six, seven years old, had lost both their parents to the conflict.”
Ukraine war has been 'four years of failure for Putin'
10:44 , Alex CroftThe Ukraine war has been “four years of failure for Putin”, Defence Secretary John Healey said.
Asked for his reflections on the fourth anniversary of the war, Mr Healey told the Press Association: “This is four years of failure for Putin.
“This is a war he thought he would win in a week, he has lost more than a million men during that time and Russia has been fighting in Ukraine for longer than the Soviet Union was fighting Germany during the Second World War.”
Asked if he agreed with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that the “beginning of the end” of the war is afoot, Mr Healey said: “I want to make 2026, like President Zelensky does, the year that this war ends, that we can bring peace.
“The UK is ready to play a part in securing that peace for the long term.”
Kremlin says goals of Russia's invasion not yet achieved
10:27 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has said on Tuesday that the goals of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have not yet been achieved, four years after it began.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “special military operation” - Moscow’s name for the invasion - was ongoing.
Moscow remains open to achieving its aims through diplomacy, Peskov said, without adding clarity on any further peace talks.
Peskov added that Moscow now felt it was in a much wider confrontation with Western nations after they intervened in the war through their support for Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky, making the four-year anniversary of the war, also said that “Putin has not achieved his goals”, while Ukraine has preserved its independence and “will do everything to achieve peace and to ensure justice”.
Starmer: Putin standing in the way of peace deal to end Ukraine war
10:05 , Alex CroftVladimir Putin is “standing in the way” of a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he promised to stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.
The prime minister made his comments on the fourth anniversary of the war, which was triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier the defence secretary John Healey said the war had been "four years of failure for Putin" .
Asked for his reflections on the fourth anniversary of the war, he told the Press Association: "This is a war he thought he would win in a week, he has lost more than a million men during that time and Russia has been fighting in Ukraine for longer than the Soviet Union was fighting Germany during the Second World War.
Read our full report:
Starmer: Putin standing in the way of peace deal to end Ukraine war
Kremlin says Ukraine conflict has become wider confrontation with the West
09:53 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin said on Tuesday that Western countries' decision to intervene in the conflict in Ukraine meant it had become a much wider confrontation with nations that Russia believed want to crush it.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He told reporters that Moscow remained open to achieving its aims in Ukraine through diplomatic channels, but said he was not yet in a position to say when and where the next round of peace talks would take place.
Russia launches 134 drones and missiles overnight
09:24 , Alex CroftRussian forces fired an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 133 drones at Ukrainian targers overnight, the Ukrainian air force has said.
Ukrainian defences destroyed or jammed 111 drones across the country’s north, south and east
Strikes were recorded across 16 locations by one ballistic missile and 19 drones.
The attack was ongoing as of earlier on Tuesday morning, the air force added.
In pictures: Ukrainians gather to honour victims of Russian invasion
09:05 , Alex Croft
UK sanctions Russian state-owned oil giant Transneft
08:54 , Alex CroftEarlier, we brought you the new that the UK had added 297 new designations to its sanctions list, which it said was its largest package of measures since early in the war.
One of the sanctioned entities was oil pipeline giant Transneft, which the government said was one of the world’s largest pipeline firms and the transporter of more than 80 per cent of Russia’s crude exports.
Transneft was targeted to further cut Moscow’s energy revenues, it added. The sanctions also included 48 oil tankers.
"The UK has today taken decisive action to disrupt the critical financing, military equipment and revenue streams that sustain Russia's aggression," foreign minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
Ukraine war in numbers: The bleak toll of Putin’s invasion after four devastating years
08:39 , Alex CroftRussia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now been raging for four years – and despite repeated attempts at peace talks brokered by the US, there appears to be no end in sight.
As the war marks the grim anniversary milestone on Tuesday, the bloody war of attrition continues, having claimed the lives of more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians.
In the last year, Moscow has ramped up its use of drones by 200 per cent, regularly launching hundreds of strikes from unmanned aircraft.
Vladimir Putin’s forces have also increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without power or heat as they face their coldest winter in years, with temperatures as low as -26C.
Ukraine war in numbers: Bleak toll of Putin’s invasion after four devastating years
UK issues 297 new sanctions on Russia
08:23 , Alex CroftBritain said it had added 297 new designations under its Russia sanctions regime, marking the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Among the new sanctions are 240 entities, 7 individuals and 50 ships, the government said in its notice.
Zelensky praises resilience of Ukrainians in face of Russian aggression
08:01 , James ReynoldsContinuing his 18-minute address, Zelensky praises the resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.
He says: “All this time, we have not let our anger eat us from within. Ukrainians have turned their own rage into energy for the fight and have proven: we can be forced into shelters, but it is impossible to drive Ukraine underground forever.
“We inevitably rise, we return, we continue to fight – because we fight for life. For the right to stand on our land – and to breathe our own air.”
Zelensky reflects on Russian atrocities on four year anniversary
07:58 , James ReynoldsAddressing the public on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Zelensky reflects on the great losses that Ukraine has endured:
“The pain Russia brought to each of our families, to every Ukrainian heart.
“Bucha. Irpin. Borodyanka. Mass graves. Hostomel. Mriya. Kharkiv. Mykolaiv. Regional state administration. Kakhovka Dam. Zaporizhzhia NPP. Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih. Ternopil and Lviv. Olenivka. Chasiv Yar. Kyiv. Okhmatdyt. Kramatorsk. Train station. A toy. Mariupol. Drama theater. The inscription: Children. Odesa. Apartment building. A little girl. Three months. Vilnyansk. Maternity ward. An infant. Two days…
“Men do not fight like this. People do not act like this. Ukrainians will not forget it. Let this footage be seen by everyone who has no pangs of conscience, by all who still extend a hand to Russian evil and still buy Putin’s oil.”
Zelensky says Russian negotiators 'are playing games'
07:25 , Arpan RaiUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian officials of playing games in the peace talks in an interview ahead of the war entering fifth year.
“Russians are playing games” and not serious about bringing the war to a close, Zelensky said responding to a question on how the peace talks were progressing, speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader has also accused Vladimir Putin of using overtures to Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position.
“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” Zelensky said.
“Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No — he is a bad actor,” he said.
Explosion in Moscow kills police officer on anniversary of war on Ukraine
07:15 , Arpan RaiAn unidentified attacker detonated an explosive device next to a police patrol vehicle in central Moscow early on Tuesday, killing himself and one officer, while injuring two others, officials have confirmed.
The incident occurred just after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital’s downtown area, according to Moscow’s Interior Ministry branch. The assailant reportedly approached a traffic police car before detonating the device, resulting in the immediate death of an officer and hospitalisation for two colleagues.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into the attack. No details regarding the assailant’s identity, potential motives, or further specifics have been released.
Explosion in Moscow kills police officer on anniversary of war on Ukraine
Pregnant and on the front line: A Ukrainian Red Cross leader’s story
07:05 , Arpan RaiWhen war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Olena Kutsa was five months pregnant.
As Russian troops rolled and explosions echoed across the country, the Head of Emergency Response for the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, who was five-months pregnant, left her home - not knowing If she would ever return.
Olena moved into her office alongside 25 volunteers. The building became both coordination hub and temporary home as sirens wailed outside. Sleeping bags were laid out on floors. Phones rang constantly. Supplies came and went in a blur of urgency.
Four years on, Olena reflects on four long years with a mixture of resolve and quiet disbelief. Her child is now old enough to ask questions about the sirens.
Pregnant and on the front line: A Ukrainian Red Cross leader’s story
Zelensky marks war anniversary with declaring defence of Ukraine's independence
06:39 , Arpan RaiUkraine has defended its independence and exists not only on the world map, Volodymyr Zelensky has said as Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country marked the fourth anniversary.
"Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken the Ukrainian people. He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace. And to ensure justice," the Ukrainian president said in a televised address.
Today marks exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And that says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and… pic.twitter.com/9qiqACurhx
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2026
Police officer killed as attacker detonates an explosive device in Moscow
06:34 , Arpan RaiAn unidentified assailant detonated an explosive device next to a patrol vehicle in Moscow in the early hours today, killing himself and a police officer, and leaving two other officers injured, officials said.
The attack happened minutes after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital's downtown, according to Moscow's branch of the Interior Ministry.
It said the assailant approached a traffic police vehicle and detonated an explosive device, killing an officer on the spot and injuring two others, who were hospitalised.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it has launched a probe into the attack. It didn't name the assailant or give any information about his possible motives or any further details.
The attack came on the day marking the fourth anniversary of Russian president Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine.
Russia has only pain to show from four years in Ukraine – but Europe must do more
06:20 , Arpan RaiWhen Vladimir Putin launched his cynically euphemistic “special military operation” against Ukraine four years ago, it was supposed to last about a week. In that time, according to the Kremlin’s plan, Volodymyr Zelensky – a supposed “Nazi” who just happens to be Jewish – was expected to flee Kyiv to some comfortable bolthole in the West.
Safe to say, things have not gone to plan. Ukrainian territory has been occupied, too often after being razed to the ground, and force has been used to the most obscene degree against the civilian population.
Yet, after some successful Ukrainian counterattacks, Russia today occupies less of Ukraine’s sovereign territory than in the early stages of the war, and its military has proved to be poorly trained, badly led, ill equipped, undisciplined, and not entirely loyal – as was demonstrated by the rebellion staged by the Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, which came surprisingly close to toppling the Russian president himself.
Russia has only pain to show from four years in Ukraine – but Europe must do more
From Korea to Kenya: All the countries dragged into fighting the Ukraine-Russia war
06:05 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky declared on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine that World War Three had already begun.
His statement reflected the increasingly global nature of Russia’s war, which has seen troops from countries across the world brought in to either bolster Putin’s aggression or support Ukraine’s resistance.
Since February 2022, around 55,000 Ukrainians have been killed in bitter fighting on the frontlines, according to Ukrainian estimates. Russia has suffered an estimated 1.2 million casualties, including at least 325,000 deaths, according to recent analysis.
Some 20,000 men from overseas are now estimated to have joined Russia’s invasion. Many have been falsely sold the promise of lucrative employment away from the frontlines. Ukraine has offered professional soldiers fixed contracts paying rates higher than what they could earn at home.
From Korea to Kenya: All the countries dragged into fighting the Ukraine-Russia war
Ukraine war in numbers: The bleak toll of Putin’s invasion after four devastating years
05:55 , Arpan RaiRussia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now been raging for four years – and despite repeated attempts at peace talks brokered by the US, there appears to be no end in sight.
As the war marks the grim anniversary milestone on Tuesday, the bloody war of attrition continues, having claimed the lives of more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians.
In the last year, Moscow has ramped up its use of drones by 200 per cent, regularly launching hundreds of strikes from unmanned aircraft.
Vladimir Putin’s forces have also increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without power or heat as they face their coldest winter in years, with temperatures as low as -26C.
Ukraine war in numbers: Bleak toll of Putin’s invasion after four devastating years
Zelensky says Russian negotiators 'are playing games'
05:24 , Arpan RaiUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian officials of playing games in the peace talks in an interview ahead of the war entering fifth year.
“Russians are playing games” and not serious about bringing the war to a close, Zelensky said responding to a question on how the peace talks were progressing, speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader has also accused Vladimir Putin of using overtures to Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position.
“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” Zelensky said.
“Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No — he is a bad actor,” he said.
Kremlin’s crackdown on misinformation sparks ‘unexpected internal resistance’ – report
05:20 , Arpan RaiThe Kremlin’s efforts to push greater control over the information space with restrictions on Whatsapp and Telegram has caused domestic trouble in Russia.
Russia’s reliance on Telegram as the most widely used social media platform for communication and access to information, says Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of Russian political analysts R.Politik and senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
“Although preparations for such a move had been evident, the decision nonetheless came as a shock to many, including senior officials, businesses, and representatives of the pro-war community," she said.
The move "has triggered unexpected internal resistance across the elite, including from domestic policy overseers, regional authorities, parts of United Russia, the military, pro-war bloggers and even the systemic opposition,” analysts have said.
She added that while the systemic opposition's decision to speak out against the measure carries no tangible political weight, "it signals emerging discrepancies within the ruling elite".
"The FSB, which stands behind the decision, was compelled to justify its actions publicly," she added.
"The measure is highly likely to be implemented, yet it will have a noticeable impact on public sentiment."
Ukraine recovers 400 sq km land, military says
04:56 , Arpan RaiUkraine recovered control of 400 sq kilometres of territory, including eight settlements, in February, the head of the military announced this morning.
Zelensky said only on 20 February that Ukraine’s Defense Forces had liberated 300 sq km in the south during a counteroffensive.
Watch: Russia boasts Rubicon's work in battlefield as war with Ukraine enters fifth year
04:25 , Arpan RaiUkraine's ex-war general says frontline reduced to 'robotic kill zone'
04:18 , Arpan RaiThe war frontline in Ukraine has turned into a “robotic kill zone” with drones dominating the warfare, leaving soldiers vulnerable to attacks, the former Ukrainian general has said.
Speaking at the Chatham House in London, Gen Valerii Zaluzhny who is now the Ukraine ambassador to the UK, said the war against Russia “has long since gone beyond long trenches, powerful tank fights and air battles", as the battlefield is now “completely transparent”, saturated by surveillance drones and automated strike systems.
The immediate aerial attacks, controlled from kilometres away, have left human prone to dangerous attacks as irreplaceable resource, unlike the weapons used as they can be mass-produced.
“It takes a lot of time to restore them,” Gen Zaluzhny said of trained personnel. “It is simply impossible to quickly replace such a resource on the battlefield,” he said.
This has made the distancing of troops from the kill zone an operational necessity in Ukraine, where it is estimated 65,000 Russian soldiers alone have been killed by drones.
Ukraine post-war reconstruction will cost $588bn, World Bank says
03:52 , Arpan RaiRebuilding Ukraine's economy will cost an estimated $588 billion over the next decade, the World Bank, United Nations, European Commission and the Ukrainian government said on Monday, a day before Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine enters its fifth year.
The latest assessment by the institutions, based on data from 24 February, 2022 through 31 December, 2025 showed a 12 per cent increase from last year's estimate, based in part on a 21 per cent jump in damaged or destroyed energy infrastructure from a year ago.
The estimate, the fifth conducted since the start of the war, found direct damage in Ukraine had reached $195bn, up nearly 11 per cent from the previous assessment, with housing, transport and energy sectors most affected, the groups said. That is more than double the damage reported in the first report in 2022.
"The damage is immense and increasing continuously," the report said, noting that damages were concentrated in frontline areas and metropolitan areas including the capital Kyiv.
The study does not include data from Russia's intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in January and February, which have left tens of thousands across Ukraine without heat, power and water during the coldest winter on record in decades.
Ukraine says it has recaptured eight settlements in major battlefield success
03:32 , Arpan RaiUkrainian troops have regained control of 400 square kilometres of territory, including eight settlements, along a section of the southern frontline since the end of January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.
The rare battlefield gains in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region stand in contrast to the broader trend of slow and costly Russian advances across the frontlines over the past two and a half years a day before the war marks its four years anniversary.
Ukraine is keen to show the world, and particularly to US president Donald Trump, that it is not losing ground in its fight against Russia's invasion, at a time when Washington is pressing Ukraine to agree to a peace deal.
Syrskyi's statement did not make clear how much of the newly secured territory had previously been under Russian control and how much lay in "grey zone" areas not firmly held by either side.
Ukraine's General Staff did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
The front lines in Ukraine have become increasingly blurred as thousands of drones fill the skies each day, pushing soldiers underground or into hard cover and creating zones where neither army exercises full control.
Next round of Ukraine peace talks could be this week, Kyiv says
03:25 , Arpan RaiAnother round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine could be held at end of this week, president Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff told Ukrainian media.
Ukraine, Russia and the United States have held several rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva as Washington seeks an end to four years of war since Moscow's 2022 invasion.
"I think at the end of the week, this week," Kyrylo Budanov told reporters when asked about the next round of talks.
"It is no secret that the negotiations are not easy, but we are definitely moving forward and approaching the moment when all sides will need to make final decisions – whether to continue this war or transition to peace," the president's office quoted him as saying.
Budanov also said the next exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine could happen this week, and that it could be bigger than the previous one when the countries returned 157 POWs each but did not give a specific number.
Hungary blocking sanctions on Russia is an 'act of political sabotage', says Poland's Tusk
03:15 , Arpan RaiActions of the Hungarian government is act of political sabotage that make helping Ukraine impossible, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Monday, referring to a possible blocking of further EU sanctions on Moscow and a €90bn loan for Kyiv by Budapest.
Ukraine has shown how it can survive - this is what it needs to win
03:00 , Alex CroftI could hear the takeoff detonation being filmed live and broadcast around the world in my earpiece along with my TV colleague’s on the ground report of the Russian attack - on the morning Vladimir Putin ordered a full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Standing in the pre-dawn freeze on a terrace overlooking Kharkiv’s Freedom Square four years ago, it took less than a minute before I was reporting on those rockets when they exploded on impact.
The skyline bulged orange, then came the concussive thump, then the cracks of the rockets exploding. They’d been fired from Russia into Ukraine’s second biggest city.
Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Ukraine has shown what it can do to survive – this is what it needs to win
Russian oil exports higher than pre-invasion of Ukraine in 2022, think tank says
02:57 , Arpan RaiRussia is exporting higher volumes of oil than it did before launching an invasion of Ukraine in 2022, even though its exports dropped last years, a Finnish think tank has said.
Despite western sanctions targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet”, Russian crude oil exports volume remained 6 per cent above pre-invasion levels in the fourth year of war, a latest report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea) has revealed.
“We’ve seen a significant drop in Russian fossil fuel export earnings as a result of new measures and greater enforcement,” said Isaac Levi, a Crea analyst and co-author of the report.
However, “there are still significant loopholes and areas that have been unaddressed by sanctioning countries”, he said, confirming that these allow volumes to remain high.
South Korea urges Russian embassy to remove 'victory' banner as Ukraine war anniversary nears
02:01 , Alex CroftSouth Korea has asked the Russian embassy in Seoul to take down a large banner reading "Victory will be ours", its foreign ministry said, just ahead of this week's fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.
The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it had conveyed its concerns to the embassy without clarifying whether it had received a response.
The roughly 15-metre (49.21 ft) banner, in the colours of the Russian flag and written in Russian, was hung on the embassy's outer wall in central Seoul ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.
The banner remained in place on Monday.
In its statement, the ministry reiterated South Korea's position that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal.
The ministry also said that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea should stop, describing it as a grave threat to South Korea's security and a violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.
