Russia’s foreign minister has branded discussions about peacekeepers operating in Ukraine after any ceasefire as „empty talk“. It comes after Donald Trump said Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go to the US to sign a minerals agreement. Follow this page for the latest on the Ukraine war.
Wednesday 26 February 2025 11:00, UK
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke will be answering your Ukraine war questions live today at 1.30pm.
Submit your questions in the box at the top of the page – he’ll answer a selection of the best.
We’ll be streaming the Q&A on this page.
Russia’s foreign minister has labelled discussions about a peacekeeping force operating in Ukraine after a potential ceasefire with Russia as „empty talk“.
Speaking in Doha, Sergei Lavrov said the idea, mooted in the past weeks by both Britain and France, is aimed at further fuelling the conflict and was a „deceit“ aimed at allowing Ukraine to rearm.
He said the move would draw Ukraine into NATO and „totally destroy“ the rights of Russian-speakers there.
Donald Trump said on Monday that he asked Vladimir Putin specifically about the possibility of a peacekeeping force operating in Ukraine.
The Russian leader reportedly said he had „no problem with it“, in stark contrast to the Kremlin’s messaging on the issue.
Asked about the comments at a news conference yesterday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cast doubt on Trump’s claim, referring to an earlier statement that such a move would be „unacceptable“ to Moscow.
As we mentioned in our last post, Moscow is planning the next round of „expert-level talks“ between its officials and the US.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said „contacts are being prepared“ through the foreign ministries of both countries, without providing further details.
Both Russia and the US sat around the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia for the first time this month to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Peskov added there was an understanding that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin should meet in person after thorough preparation, but said there were no details yet on when and where this would happen.
He said the two leaders could speak again by phone if needed, but there were no current plans for this.
Peskov also declined to comment on the reported minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine but noted reports that Volodymyr Zelebskyy would visit the White House this week.
„Whether it will be [to sign] the aforementioned agreement or something else, we’ll see. There have been no official statements on this matter yet,“ he said.
Russia’s military would need to keep fighting for at least 83 more years to capture the remaining 80% of Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The US-based thinktank says Russia appears to be operating in Ukraine based on the assumption that the war will continue indefinitely and that it does not need to make significant territorial gains in a single offensive.
With this in mind, the ISW assessed it would take Russian forces until 2108 at the least to control all of Ukraine, assuming they can sustain their current rate of advance and massive personnel losses indefinitely, which it says is unlikely.
„Putin has articulated a theory of victory, however, that assumes that Russia can outlast Ukraine and the West and continue to advance on the battlefield until Russia defeats Ukraine,“ the report adds.
This all comes amid hopes of a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, with representatives from Moscow meeting US officials in Saudi Arabia last week.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said „expert level talks“ between Moscow and Washington are being prepared as a follow-up to the meeting in Riyadh.
After talks with Donald Trump this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said a truce could be agreed in the coming weeks.
Poland’s deputy prime minister says Warsaw has ordered 5,000 Starlink internet terminals for Ukraine.
„Starlink provides internet and security in both civilian and military spheres. Thanks to this, the front holds,“ Krzysztof Gawkowski said.
Starlink terminals have played a vital role in securing communications in the war in Ukraine, with most battlefield positions equipped with their own terminal.
Last year, Ukraine said around 42,000 terminals were in operation across the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations.
More than 20,000 of those have been lent by Poland.
On day 38 of Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House have announced Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit him at the end of the week.
US correspondents Mark Stone, James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss what could be in the minerals deal at the centre of the surprise summit and how it will affect Sir Keir Starmer’s imminent visit.
👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈
After a long time spent negotiating, it appears Ukraine and the US have agreed on a framework agreement for a minerals deal.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to head to Washington in the coming days to finalise the agreement.
A major sticking point in the deal, according to security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, was a demand from the US to get $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from accessing Ukrainian natural resources.
„Ukraine was very frustrated about what it viewed as overly onerous demands from the United States for its mineral wealth,“ she tells Sky News Breakfast presenter Wilfred Frost.
„That contentious figure of $500bn, we’re told, is no longer in the agreement.
„Also no longer in the agreement and has never been in the agreement is an explicit commitment from the US to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the wake of this cease fire deal that Donald Trump says he wants to broker.
„This is something that Ukraine has repeatedly says is absolutely fundamental for it to be confident that Russia won’t just stop fighting, rearm and attack again, but would actually be genuinely deterred.“
By Ed Conway, economics and data editor
How much have America, Britain and the rest paid Ukraine in aid since the Russian invasion? And do they have any hope of getting money back in return?
These are big questions, and they’re likely to dominate much of the discussion in the coming months as Donald Trump pressurises his Ukrainian counterparts for a deal on ending the war. So let’s go through some of the answers.
First off, the question of who has given the most money to Ukraine rather depends on what you’re counting.
If you’re looking solely at the amount of military support extended since 2022, the US has provided €64bn, compared with €62bn from European nations (including the UK).
But now include other types of support, such as humanitarian and financial assistance, and European support exceeds American (€132bn in total, compared with €114bn from the US).
Divide Europe into its constituent nations, on the other hand, and none of them individually comes anywhere close to the US quantity of aid.
That being said, simple cash numbers aren’t an especially good measure of a country’s ability to pay…
Earlier, we reported on a Russian drone strike in the Kyiv region, which according to a regional govenor killed one person.
We now have images from a separate overnight attack, this time in Kharkiv.
Two people were injured as a result of a strike on an apartment building according to the city’s mayor.
Will Europe fill the defence vacuum left by the American withdrawal of support for the war in Ukraine? What will a mineral deal between Ukraine and America look like?
Richard and Yalda get together on the week of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to discuss these questions and more.
Richard records from a bombed-out hotel in Odesa in the south of Ukraine, where he has spent the week talking to those in the military and civilians to get their reaction to Trump beginning peace talks with Putin. Yalda reports on her latest discussions with diplomats and politicians from across the world.
To get in touch or to share questions for Richard and Yalda, email theworld@sky.uk.
Click here to visit their YouTube channel where you can watch all the episodes.
👉Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim on your podcast app👈
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Ukraine war latest: Lavrov dismisses idea of peacekeepers in Ukraine – branding it a 'deceit' – Sky News
