Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 02-27-2025

Though some European countries say they are open to deploying troops, President Trump insists a deal should be in place before deciding on boots on the ground.

US President Donald Trump told visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday that a ceasefire “deal” must be established first in Ukraine before foreign troop deployments can be decided. 

“You’re talking about a peacekeeping force. We have to make a deal first. Right now we don’t have a deal... I think we’re very well advanced on the deal, but we have not made a deal yet, so I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal,” Trump said while addressing reporters alongside Starmer. 

US President Donald Trump said he “[couldn’t] believe [he] said that” when asked by a reporter while meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he doesn’t remember calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. 

Asked by a reporter if he “still thinks that Mr. Zelensky is a dictator,” Trump first asked if he actually said it before dodging the question altogether. 

The invitation made the US president the first US leader in modern times to be received for two state visits by a British Monarch.

US President Donald Trump received an invitation by King Charles for a state visit from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the latter’s visit to the White House on Thursday.

“This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented,” Starmer told Trump while handing him the letter.

A White House document slated for release on Friday says sanctions on Russia “must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2025.”

US President Donald Trump is reportedly set to extend sanctions on Russia for another year. 

A US presidential document, scheduled to be published on Friday, Feb. 28, noted that sanctions on Russia placed in 2014, 2018 and 2022 due to Moscow’s invasion “must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2025” for another year. 

A French media outlet has reported that the US President wanted to cancel his Ukrainian counterpart’s visit until President Emmanuel Macron intervened.

The French media outlet BFMTV, citing unnamed French diplomatic sources, reported that Washington had decided on Wednesday to call off Friday’s visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The information went as far as to say the US administration had actually sent a message telling him not to come.

The report said that on being informed, Zelensky called France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who in turn contacted US President Donald Trump, asking him to receive his Ukrainian colleague – and that he would vouch for him.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the observation post housed Russian servicemen from the 1429th Motorized Rifle Regiment.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it struck a Russian observation post used to launch drones at Ukrainian targets, located near the occupied settlement of Kopani in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The operation was on Feb. 25, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported via Telegram.

With a US under Donald Trump, Europe could be facing a future without America’s nuclear umbrella, which protected them throughout the Cold War and in the decades since.

France and Britain are unlikely to include European allies in their nuclear deterrence, analysts said after future German leader Friedrich Merz called for European defense “independence” and a possible “nuclear sharing.”

Faced with a seismic strategy shift by the United States under Donald Trump, Europe could be facing a future without America’s nuclear umbrella, which protected them throughout the Cold War and in the decades since.

Maj. Gen. Andriy Hnatov, who previously served as the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was officially appointed to the position on Thursday.

Ukraine appointed Maj. Gen. Andriy Hnatov as the new deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on Thursday.

The official appointment came a month after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in an official announcement the transfer, during which he said Hnatov would be tasked with “a new level of training of operational headquarters and a higher quality of interaction between headquarters and the front.”

Pfarrer provides a critical assessment of an upcoming turning point in the war during his conversation with his Kyiv Post colleague, Jason Smart, a political scientist specializing in Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly discussed the idea with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in recent talks.

Turkey is reportedly open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of security guarantees if Ankara is involved in all relevant discussions and preparations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly discussed the idea with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in separate talks earlier this month in Ankara. Erdogan met Zelensky on Feb. 18 and Lavrov on Feb. 24.

Zelensky is expected in Washington on Friday to oversee the signing of the accord and meet with Trump to discuss further US support for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s cabinet on Thursday gave its green light for the country’s foreign or economy minister to ink an accord with Washington giving Washington access to Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for US support.

Negotiations surrounding the deal had ratcheted up tensions between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky who refused to sign a first draft.

Trump reportedly wants to bring Russia closer to the US and farther from China

US and Russian officials are reportedly in private, early-stage discussions to cooperate in natural resources exploration and trade routes in the Arctic. 

They have “identified the Arctic as a possible area for economic cooperation,” Bloomberg wrote, referencing sources “familiar with the situation.” 

The new 3.5-year government bonds received more than 3x oversubscription. Bond Market Insight for Feb. 27

Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) offered new 3.5-year notes yesterday, which will soon become reserve bonds, and increased borrowings to almost UAH12bn.

Demand for military bonds rose slightly to almost UAH2bn and was concentrated in bills due in 2027, while the new 3.5-year note received more than 3x oversubscription.

Ukrainian officials say the pace of Russian assaults is falling off across the front and claim that in the critical Pokrovsk sector Moscow’s forces got pushed back in up to three places.

Ukrainian forces executed limited but successful counterattacks in three sectors of the eastern fighting front to take back territory captured by Russian forces, Thursday news and battle reports said.

A video published on Wednesday by Ukraine’s Airborne Forces Command credited the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade with assaulting and clearing the village of Kotlyne near the fortress city of Pokrovsk earlier in the week.

This statement aligns with a previous one by Lavrov that Moscow has made it clear that it will not settle for the current frontlines in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has ruled out any negotiations over the status of five Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed, despite not fully controlling four of them.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that these territories are now “an inseparable part” of Russia, as they are enshrined in the country’s constitution.

Kyiv Post visited new mobile workshops capable of carrying out major equipment repairs being put together by volunteers and military engineers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Nemtsov, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a strong supporter of Ukraine was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015.

Moscow residents gathered on Tuesday, Feb. 27, to mark the 10th anniversary of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov’s assassination, despite a heavy police presence at the memorial site.

Nemtsov, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a strong supporter of Ukraine, was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015.

The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.

A top White House official has proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network as Donald Trump moves to annex US’s northern neighbour. Peter Navarro, one of the US president’s closest advisers, is pushing for the US to remove Canada from the Five Eyes — which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand — according to people familiar with his efforts inside the administration. Trump has said he wants to annex Canada and has vowed to press ahead with 25 per cent tariffs on imports from the country when a one-month reprieve elapses on March 4. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will step down from office on March 9, was recently caught on an open mic warning that Trump’s ambition to absorb the US’s northern neighbour was a “real thing”. Navarro did not respond to requests for comment. After the FT’s article was first published, Navarro denied pushing the idea, which he said was “crazy stuff”. “We would never ever jeopardise our national security . . . with allies like Canada,” Navarro said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trudeau’s office declined to comment. FT

Navarro later walked back his comments. “That was just crazy stuff. We would never, ever jeopardize our national security ever with allies like Canada. Ever,” Navarro said to reporters in Washington, D.C. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne defended Canada’s role in the alliance, CTV News reported. “It is a surprising comment, considering the contribution of Canada to the Five Eyes Alliance, not only today, but also in the past, and I would even say in the future,” Champagne said. “Canada is respected. Canada is valued. Canada is essential to a lot of the intelligence and security work that is being done to protect our citizens, to protect our country, to protect even North America and our allies,” Champagne added.

The initiative for the Trump rare earth deal initially came from the Ukrainian side as a way to lure Trump into committing to continued support for Ukraine.

Reports over the last days suggest that Ukraine has finally agreed to sign Trump’s Ukraine rare earth deal, and Zelensky will meet with Trump at the WH on Friday to initial an agreement.

The initiative for the Trump rare earth deal initially came from the Ukrainian side as a way to lure in Trump to somehow commit to continued support to Ukraine.

The deal would give America a massive long-term stake in Ukraine’s mineral wealth – but also in its security.

Donald Trump’s original proposal for the US to get a massive share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth got a frosty reception, but the latest amendments mean Kyiv is now on the brink of signing. 

The latest draft, published today by European Pravda, still does not commit the US to providing Ukraine with concrete security guarantees.

France’s Defense Minister made it clear that, unlike the US, France is not seeking minerals in return for the aid it has given to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

France is in talks with Ukraine to gain access to its mineral resources, including those needed for military use, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday.

Speaking to Franceinfo, Lecornu confirmed that discussions began in October between the defense ministries of the two countries. He made it clear that, unlike US President Donald Trump, France is not seeking minerals in return for the aid it has given, and continues to give, to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

The relative of the victims of the 2014 atrocity argue that any peace deal lacks credibility unless Russia finally acknowledges responsibility for downing the plane.

Relatives of the victims of the 2014 MH17 disaster insist that no credible peace deal can be reached without Russia acknowledging its responsibility for shooting down the plane.

In letters addressed to US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the families said that Russia’s recognition of guilt is essential if there is to be any meaningful settlement.

While neither side has disclosed the participants, Russia’s TASS news agency reported that the Russian delegation includes representatives from the foreign ministry.

Russian and US officials have begun talks in Istanbul to address embassy-related issues and work toward improving diplomatic relations, according to Russian news agencies.

The meeting is taking place at the US consul general’s residence and follows the high-level discussions this month between the two countries in Riyadh – the first encounter since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

South Korea’s intelligence agency has said Pyongyang has sent more than 1,000 expert technical troops to support the infantry forces it originally deployed to Russia last year.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), said that North Korea (DPRK) had dispatched additional specialist troops to support its operational deployment in Russia’s Kursk region.

The agency said that it was still assessing the total numbers of additional forces while the South Korean JoongAng publication says at least 1,000 and as many as 3,000 troops had been sent.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the meeting would discuss possible European security guarantees for any accord.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to a special EU summit on March 6 to discuss possible European “security guarantees” for Ukraine, European Council President Antonio Costa said Thursday.

Europe is scrambling to make its voice heard after US President Donald Trump sidelined Kyiv and its backers on the continent by launching talks with Russia to end the three-year war.

For the first time in Ukraine, demining operators will be able to rent a machine for clearing territories affected by ERW - now estimated at 139,000 square kilometers (53,640 square miles).

The Ukrainian subsidiary of the Swiss-German equipment manufacturer GCS, has launched a rental service for landmine clearance machines in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Economy.

Operators carrying out demining activities will also have the option to purchase the machines after renting them.

Starmer arrived in Washington late Wednesday to build on a visit by Emmanuel Macron, amid growing concerns in Europe that the US leader is about to sell Kyiv short in negotiations with Putin.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Donald Trump on Thursday to plead for a US backstop to any Ukraine ceasefire, insisting it would be the only way to stop Russia’s Vladimir Putin from invading again.

Starmer arrived in Washington late Wednesday to build on a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, amid growing concerns in Europe that the US leader is about to sell Kyiv short in negotiations with Putin.

Trump declared Zelensky an “unelected dictator” and said his presence during Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations was “unnecessary,” as Ankara hosted the Ukrainian leader for diplomatic talks.

The newly elected US President, Donald Trump, declared Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and deemed his role at the Russia-Ukraine peace negotiation table “unnecessary.” This, while Ukraine’s leader was in Ankara for a critical diplomatic meeting.

Throughout the three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ankara-Kyiv relations have never lost their significance with Turkey consistently playing a crucial role in this war.

Zelensky is set to visit Washington DC on Friday to sign the natural resources agreement. The trip has already been confirmed in both Kyiv and Washington.

Representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly pushed to exclude wording on security guarantees from an agreement between the US and Ukraine regarding access to Ukrainian natural resources.

According to an unnamed Ukrainian official, cited by the New York Times, Trump administration negotiators repeatedly tried to remove references to security guarantees from early drafts, arguing that they were “unrelated” to mineral rights. The phrasing was only added back at the later stages of negotiations.

Romania - a NATO member bordering Ukraine -- has had several drone fragments crash down on its soil since Moscow invaded Ukraine, especially as Russia has been intensifying attacks on Ukrainian ports.

Romania’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday adopted a law that makes it possible for the country to shoot down drones breaching its airspace.

Romania -- a NATO member bordering Ukraine -- has had several drone fragments crash down on its soil since Moscow invaded Ukraine, especially as Russia has been intensifying attacks on Ukrainian ports.

When the first explosions started, we thought it was the “binmen” crashing about as they do most days – like many people we never envisaged Russia was going to invade.

At around 4 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, we were woken by the explosion of missiles fired on Kyiv by Russia at the start of its full-scale invasion. Having thought that the build-up of Moscow’s troops on Ukraine’s border was nothing but saber-rattling, we first thought the noises were caused by the “binmen” handling the large communal garbage bins – even on the 19th floor they are still audible.

However, as we saw the flashes from the detonations lighting up the skyline from our living room window, we realized that the Vladimir Putin-launched nightmare had come to pass. There then followed a scramble to get the boys up – our youngest had slept through it all – throw some essentials into suitcases, grab the cat and push him reluctantly into his pet carrier.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are planning to meet at the White House on February 28, likely to sign a US-Ukraine mineral deal. A draft agreement of the deal published ahead of the meeting does not provide US security assistance or security guarantees to Ukraine, however.
• Russian officials directly involved in negotiations with the United States continue to insist that any peace agreement to resolve the war in Ukraine must be based on Russia’s 2021 demands. They also insist on the surrender to Russia of territory that Ukrainian forces currently hold that is home to major cities and well over a million people.
• Russia is demanding that Ukraine surrender several large cities that Russian forces do not currently occupy and have no prospect of seizing, handing over one million Ukrainians to Russia.
• Lavrov’s and other Kremlin officials’ continued rejections of a ceasefire and other terms that US President Donald Trump and European leaders have identified as necessary to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine demonstrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains uninterested in meaningful negotiations and assesses that he can achieve his war objectives militarily in the medium- to long-term.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Chasiv Yar, Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka, and Robotyne.
• Russian officials proposed that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) assume control over all Russian pretrial detention facilities amid reports that the FSB is in charge of a pretrial detention facility linked to the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

“Some disagree with him a little bit,” the US president says about his billionaire adviser and his largest campaign contributor who now has a seat at the highest-level meeting in the world.

Dressed tech-style, in a black “Make America Great Again” baseball cap and black t-shirt, as if becoming the world’s richest man were no big deal, Donald Trump’s largest campaign contributor sat in on the US president’s first Cabinet meeting, joining department secretaries and top-brass military officers.

Elon Musk, who runs Trump’s unofficial DOGE (the so-called “department” of government efficiency), and has been targeted by Capitol Hill Democrats and Republicans alike for firing more than a hundred thousand of their federally employed constituents, has been the subject of protests and lawsuits around the country for his allegedly illegal layoffs and seemingly unconstitutional meddling in government affairs.