U.S. and Russia Meet Again to Discuss Ukraine Peace Talks
The U.S. and Russian officials will meet for a second round of talks on February 27 in Istanbul, Turkey. This meeting was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The first round of talks took place on February 18 in Saudi Arabia. At that time, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russia’s delegation led by Lavrov. However, Ukraine was not invited to participate.
After the initial meeting, Rubio mentioned three main objectives that both sides agreed to pursue:
* Restoring embassy staff in Washington and Moscow
* Creating a high-level team to facilitate Ukraine peace talks
* Exploring ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries
Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Ukraine regarding critical minerals and natural resources. This deal will grant Ukraine billions of dollars in aid and military equipment.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 177 drones at Ukraine overnight. The Financial Times said that Ukraine secured more favorable terms in the deal and framed it as a way to strengthen ties with the U.S.
The Slovak National Party has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Robert Fico for supporting a UN resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed that Poland has ordered 5,000 Starlink terminals for Ukraine.
In other news, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that every airport must be adapted to cooperate with the military. He made this comment after a drone attack on an airport in Sochi.
The Russian Investigative Committee detained film critic Ekaterina Barabash in Moscow. Her son reported this on Facebook.
U.S. President Trump also mentioned that he would like to sign a minerals deal with Russia, and that he is open to striking a deal on critical minerals with Russia.
This situation has resulted in 1,170 casualties for Russian forces over the past day, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
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