Summary
Here is a summary of the day’s key events:
EU leaders will meet on 6 March for a special summit “to take decisions” on Ukraine and European defence, the head of the European Council has said. António Costa, who chairs EU leader meetings, announced on Sunday that he was calling the meeting on 6 March: “We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security.” He said European leaders had a shared commitment to strengthening European defence and contributing to the long-term security of Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We would really like it as a priority for the US to first talk to us, then to Russia.” He went on to add: “They can discuss whatever they want in their relations …but it is not possible to decide anything about Ukraine without us. We will not recognise any such agreements, regardless of format.”
EU and world leaders are due to head to Kyiv tomorrow to show their support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy and discuss security guarantees. Zelenskyy said he hoped tomorrow’s meeting would be a “turning point”. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, the European Council president, António Costa, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, are among those expected to attend the meeting in person.
Zelenskyy, who was elected the president of Ukraine in May 2019, was asked if he would be willing to “give up” being president of Ukraine in exchange for peace. “Yes, I am happy, if it is for the peace of Ukraine,” he told the press conference. “If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for Nato membership for Ukraine.”
The Russian government supported comments made by Donald Trump about Zelenskyy - such as calling the Ukrainian leader a dictator - as “understandable” after Zelenskyy made “inappropriate remarks” about Trump. “Zelenskyy makes inappropriate remarks addressed to the head of state. He does it repeatedly,” the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
Around $350bn worth of Ukraine’s critical resources are in areas captured by Russia, Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday. “We have information that, unfortunately, there is about $350bn worth of these useful critical materials in temporarily occupied territory,” deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko told a news conference in Kyiv.
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EU leaders will meet on 6 March for a special summit “to take decisions” on Ukraine and European defence, the head of the European Council has said.
António Costa, who chairs EU leader meetings, announced on Sunday that he was calling the meeting on 6 March: “We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security”. He said European leaders had a shared commitment to strengthening European defence and contributing to the long-term security of Ukraine.
Costa said he would work with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU member states “to be ready to take decisions on 6 March”.
The EU hopes to raise billions in military support for Ukraine “as soon as possible in 2025” according to a draft plan that will be discussed by foreign ministers on Monday.
Under a proposal from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, the EU would send Ukraine at least 1.5m rounds of large-calibre ammunition, air-defence systems, missiles capable of deep precision strikes, drones, as well as training for brigades.
The EU says it gave Ukraine €20bn in military aid in 2024, a figure that is fast becoming a reference point for the next plan. Diplomatic sources said the EU should be ready to give at least the same in 2025, while others said it should give more.
A report of a proposed €6bn has been described as “an early draft that was quickly discounted” by one EU source.
The plan comes at a perilous moment in the war, as Donald Trump appears ready to sideline Ukraine and Europe in an attempt to make a deal with the Kremlin.
The EU says it has provided €48.5bn in military support to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, including €20bn in 2024.
Ministers are unlikely to set a figure on Monday, passing the decision up to EU leaders meeting on 6 March.
New York City’s Ukrainian community is “disappointed” after Trump’s ‘betrayal”.
As the US upends decades of foreign policy, those watching the war unfold from miles away resolve to stand strong.
The Guardian’s Anna Betts reports:
Members of New York’s large Ukrainian community expressed a mix of disillusionment, betrayal, defiance and acute uncertainty about what the future holds for Ukraine after tensions escalated this week between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Geopolitical events in the last week have shocked Ukrainians at home and overseas as well as US lawmakers and allies, as the US president appeared to heavily favor the Russian president Vladimir Putin to dictate peace terms on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, labeling him “a dictator” and falsely claiming Ukraine started the war.
Zelenskyy expressed extreme frustration at being excluded – as were European leaders – as the US and Russia began negotiations to end the war. Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in a Kremlin “disinformation bubble”, while US aides countered by telling Zelenskyy to “tone down” his remarks.
With the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaching on Monday, the unprecedented escalation of tensions between Kyiv and Washington, amid Trump upending decades of US foreign policy by leaning away from Europe and towards Russia, has sparked concerns about future American support for Ukraine.
For the full story, click here:
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested he would be willing to step down “for peace”.
The Ukrainian president made the comment after Donald Trump called him a ‘dictator without elections’ earlier in the week. Zelenskyy was democratically elected in 2019 and has remained president since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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Summary of day so far
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he would give up his presidency in exchange for Nato membership and “peace in Ukraine”.
Zelenskyy said he hoped tomorrow’s meeting with European leaders in Ukraine – which will likely largely focus on security guarantees for Kyiv ahead of so-called peace talks – will be a “turning point”.
Zelenskyy said he wanted to see Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia launched a large-scale drone attack across 13 regions of Ukraine overnight, a day before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia launched a “record” 267 drones on Ukraine in a single, coordinated attack, killing at least three people, according to officials.
Russia’s defence ministry said 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed but did not comment specifically on the drone attack.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, will travel to Washington next week to make the case for supporting Ukraine and to urge the US not to rush a ceasefire deal.
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In response to a question about hosting elections, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said:
“I mean, how would you recognise the elections where half of the population would not be able to vote? Because that would be the case … They won’t be able to do that. People forget when they’re raising the question like: ‘What do we do with the temporarily occupied territories now, what the people are going to do there, how they’re going to vote?’”
He added:
“How are the people going to travel there amidst the combat operations? Who’s going to let them go? Or we are willing to tell them, like something in this case, Russians will be controlling the elections in the temporarily occupied territories? There are so many questions like that.”
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Ukrainian president Vlodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking to reporters, saying, “We would really like it as a priority for the US to first talk to us, then to Russia.”
He went on to add, “They can discuss whatever they want in their relations…but it is not possible to decide anything about Ukraine without us. We will not recognize any such agreements, regardless of format.”
Earlier this week, the US and Russia held bilateral talks on the future of Ukraine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which Ukraine was not invited to.
Zelenskyy has criticized the meeting and Ukraine’s lack of an invite, prompting Donald Trump to falsely blame the Ukrainian president for starting the Ukraine-Russia war in 2022.
The security guarantee that Zelenskyy really wants is Nato membership. European members of the military alliance still back that goal (at least publicly), but Washington appears to have taken it off the table for now, along with Ukrainian hopes of regaining the 20% of its territory seized by Russia.
In the absence of Nato membership, Zelenskyy has said that more than 100,000 European troops could be needed in Ukraine to guarantee the fighting does not start again after any potential ceasefire.
Zelenskyy hopes EU leaders meeting in Ukraine on Monday will mark 'turning point'
EU and world leaders are due to head to Kyiv tomorrow to show their support for Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discuss security guarantees. Zelenskyy said he hopes tomorrow’s meeting will be a “turning point”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among those expected to attend the meeting in person.
“We need partnership, we need help but we can’t lose our independence, we can’t lose our dignity,” Zelenskyy said.
As well as security guarantees – which Zelenskyy says Europe and the US can give Kyiv – the Ukrainian leader said the European leaders will speak about their strategy “not for the coming years, but for the coming weeks”.
French President Emmanuel Macron will head to the White House tomorrow on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer follows later in the week.
“I am going there to say that the security of the French and the Europeans is important,” Macron said over the weekend. Russia, he said, is “heavily armed” and continues to become “even more heavily-armed”.
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Zelenskyy: Ukraine 'making progress' with US on resources deal
Zelenskyy has been asked about a deal on US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals.
“We are making progress,” he said, adding that Ukrainian and US officials had been in touch about the deal earlier in the day. “We are ready to share,” the Ukrainian leader said, but made clear that Washington first needs to ensure Vladimir Putin “ends this war”.
The White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Friday that Zelenskyy was expected to sign a deal imminently. Zelenskyy said the same day that Ukrainian and US teams were working on a draft agreement. “I am hoping for … a fair result,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that he wanted to see Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
“I really want it to be more than just mediation... that’s not enough,” he told the press conference. His comments come as political leaders in Europe fear Kyiv is being sidelined in talks to bring an end to the war.
The Ukrainian president has invited Trump to Ukraine and he wants him there “very much”, but he said this “unfortunately” has not been achieved yet.
The US has proposed a UN resolution on the war that omits any mention of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has been reporting. It appeared to rival a draft resolution produced by Ukraine and its European allies that stresses the need to redouble diplomatic efforts to end the war this year. Washington’s text last week called for a “swift end to the conflict” without mentioning Kyiv’s territorial integrity, and was welcomed by Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, as “a good move”.
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Zelenskyy suggests he would give up presidency for 'peace' in Ukraine
Zelenskyy, who was democratically elected the president of Ukraine in May 2019, was asked if he would be willing to “give up” being president of Ukraine in exchange for peace. “Yes, I am happy, if it is for the peace of Ukraine,” he told the press conference.
“If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for Nato membership for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy added.
His comments came after Donald Trump called the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” earlier in the week.
Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law, which has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Few Ukrainians support the idea of a poll at a time when Russia’s invasion has forced millions to flee abroad, and when Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying on the frontline, as my colleagues note in this story.
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Zelenskyy says the option of Ukraine joining Nato is 'still on table' despite Russian opposition
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making a speech on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, concluding the Ukraine: Year 2025 forum in Kyiv. He said he is focused on Ukraine’s security now, not in 20 years. He reiterated his desire for security guarantees to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position during so-called peace talks. The Ukrainian leader said Nato “is the cheapest option” and said it is “still on the table” even though Russia has said Ukraine joining the defensive alliance would pose a “direct threat” to it. He insists that a deal made without Ukraine’s direct involvement in talks would not be recognised.
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Key event
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has been speaking at the Ukraine Year 2025 forum being held in Kyiv (see comments made by other politicians here in post at 13.34)
Sybiha said “it is time to fasten our diplomatic seat belts” and “not give in to emotions”, adding that Kyiv is “convinced that we really have a chance to end the war this year”. He said it is important to cooperate with the Trump administration to secure a just and long-lasting “peace”.
In a post on X earlier today, Sybiha said the huge overnight Russian drone attack “demonstrates that avoiding calling Russia an aggressor does not change the fact that it is one”.
“No one should trust Putin’s words. Look at his actions instead,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to give a press conference this afternoon at about 14:30 GMT. We will bring you the latest lines from the briefing once its begins.
Russia says Trump branding Zelenskyy a dictator was 'understandable'
The Russian government has supported comments made by US President Donald Trump about Volodymyr Zelenskyy - such as calling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator” - are “understandable” after Zelenskyy made “inappropriate remarks” about Trump.
“Zelenskyy makes inappropriate remarks addressed to the head of state. He does it repeatedly,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
In response, Zelenskyy said Trump was “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia, a riposte to the US President’s erroneous claim that Ukraine started the war and that Zelenskyy’s approval ratings had plummeted to 4% when, in reality, they are closer to 60%.
“No president would tolerate that kind of treatment,” Peskov says, so Trump’s reaction is “completely quite understandable.”
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Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), alleges Russia intended to perpetrate a terrorist attack at a construction hypermarket in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports.
Speaking at the Year 2025 forum in Kyiv on Sunday, Maliuk says.
“They planned a terrorist attack at a construction hypermarket in Kyiv owned by a French company -- I won’t name it. It was set to happen during peak hours, after 18:00, when the store is crowded. Explosive devices were placed in areas containing flammable materials,” Maliuk said.
He stressed that The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) acted proactively, preventing the attack and gathering all necessary evidence.
Maliuk adds that the SBU is countering Russia’s attempts to falsely implicate Ukraine in crimes the country could not have committed.
How the the war ends will 'determine not only the future of Europe but also the future of the world' - Andriy Yermak
Speaking on Sunday, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, says the outcome of the war in the Ukraine will shape the future of the world after Kyiv was battered by the largest drone attack since the beginning of the war.
“We have shown the world an example of courage and resistance,” Yermak says at the Ukraine. Year 2025” forum held in Kyiv.
“Once again, the question arises: what kind of world do we want to live in? I fully agree -how the war in Ukraine ends will determine not only the future of Europe but also the future of the world. That is why the president and his entire team remain steadfast in their position: there can be no compromises on our independence, territorial integrity, or sovereignty,” Yermak said.
The “Ukraine. Year 2025” forum is taking place in Kyiv on Sunday, bringing together the leaders of state institutions. The event will conclude with a press conference by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week to make the case for supporting Ukraine and to urge the US not to rush a ceasefire deal.
“Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians,” Starmer, who has tried to position himself as a “bridge” between America and Europe, told the Scottish Labour Party conference in Glasgow on Sunday.
“But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future.”
Around $350bn worth of Ukraine’s critical resources are in areas captured by Russia, Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday, via the AFP.
“We have information that, unfortunately, there is about $350bn worth of these useful critical materials in temporarily occupied territory,” deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko told a news conference in Kyiv.
She said some statistics on the deposits were “obsolete”, but the estimate was based on geological surveys and open source data.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants concrete security guarantees from Trump in exchange for access to critical resources such as lithium, titanium, uranium and rare-earth metals.
A source in Ukraine told AFP on Saturday the Ukrainian leader was “not ready” to agree to the current US demands.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on Sunday insisted that negotiations were proceeding in a “normal” fashion.
“No one has refused anything. The normal work process is under way. And it can always take a day or months,” he said at a news conference in Kyiv.
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As we mentioned in the opening post, Ukraine’s air force command said a “record” 267 Russian drones were launched in a single, coordinated overnight attack. Ukraine says it intercepted 138 attack drones.
In an update, the Ukrainian air force has said the intercepted drones targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Dnipro. It said the drone attack caused damage in five regions: Dnipro, Odesa, Poltava, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Loud explosions were heard across the country through the night, including in the capital Kyiv where drone debris fell in the centre of the city.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added in his post on X earlier today that a “lasting and just peace” in Ukraine can only be achieved through the unity of all its allies, namely Europe and the US.
It comes after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia this week, without Ukraine’s involvement, raising concerns in Kyiv and the EU that any deal to end the war will be favourable to Moscow.
Some context. On Wednesday, Donald Trump said that Zelenskyy was a “dictator without elections” , warning the Ukrainian president that he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.
Trump also said Zelenskyy had “talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn’t be won, that never had to start”.
After much of what the president said echoed Kremlin talking points, including falsehoods about Zelenskyy’s popularity being at 4% (a recent poll put it at 57%), the Ukrainian leader hit back by saying Trump was caught in a Russian “disinformation bubble”.
Despite criticism from Nato allies, preparations for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin are under way, as Washington seems to abandon the policy of western isolation of Moscow since the invasion.
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Zelenskyy: Ukrainians 'stand against aerial terror' on daily basis
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging for peace in the region following the large-scale Russian attack. In a post on X, the Ukrainian president wrote:
Every day, our people stand against aerial terror. On the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale war, Russia launched 267 attack drones against Ukraine — the largest attack since Iranian drones began striking Ukrainian cities and villages. In total, nearly 1,150 attack drones, more than 1,400 guided aerial bombs and 35 missiles of various types were launched this week.
I thank everyone who repels such attacks on a daily basis—our aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups of the air force and defence forces. I also thank those on the ground who save lives and respond to the aftermath of shelling—the state emergency service, medics, and the national police. The war continues. Everyone capable of helping with air defense must work to enhance the protection of human life.
Russia launches a large-scale drone attack across Ukraine on eve of war anniversary
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Overnight, Russia hit Ukraine with its largest single drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, which was launched on 24 February 2022, a spokesperson for the country’s air force has said.
Ukraine’s air defence shot down 138 drones while 119 decoy drones were lost. Russia also launched three ballistic missiles. Drones were intercepted in at least 13 regions including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two people in Kherson were reportedly killed in the attacks. Another casualty was reported in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, the industrial city where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy grew up.
Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said that 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight.
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