Russia-Ukraine war live updates fromFeb 26, 2024

Hungary on Monday voted to authorize Sweden’s NATO accession quote, ending months of diplomatic settlements and completing Stockholm’s subscription practically 2 years after it initially used to sign up with the military alliance.

Members of the governing celebration led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had actually been opposed to Sweden signing up with NATO amidst the nation’s criticism of Hungary’s democracy.

Sweden used to sign up with NATO in May 2022 following Russia’s major intrusion of Ukraine, moving far from its previous policy method of military non-alignment.

Read the complete story here.

â $” Karen Gilchrist, Sophie Kiderlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov talked about financial relations and assistance in a conference on Monday, Zelenskyy stated in a post on social networks platform X.

“I appreciate Bulgaria’s support for our efforts to expand trade flows and restore normal shipping in the Black Sea and Danube regions,” Zelenskyy stated. “We agreed with Bulgaria to accelerate the development of logistics and infrastructure in our region.”

Infrastructure on the Danube river in the south of Ukraine has actually been important to the nation’s grain trade considering that a previous offer that permitted safe passage for grain and other traded products through the Black Sea was stopped by Russia in 2015.

â $” Sophie Kiderlin

Kusti Salm, long-term secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, talks about the requirement to increase defense costs for Ukraine.

â $” Holly Ellyatt

Russian opposition political leader Alexei Navalny was close to being released in a detainee swap at the time of his death, Maria Pevchikh, a Navalny ally, stated on Monday.

Speaking on YouTube, Pevchikh â $” who declares the Russian authorities killed Navalny, something they reject â $” stated Navalny and 2 U.S. nationals remained in line to be exchanged for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB security service struck guy who is serving a life sentence inGermany

â $” Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish equivalent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after the Russian governmental election in mid-March, the Kremlin stated Monday.

“Before the elections, no,” Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov informed press reporters on Monday, when asked when the conference may happen.

“But preparations for contacts at the highest level are underway, we have repeatedly stated this,” he stated, news firm Interfax reported.

Peskov described that “these contacts will take place at a time when it best suits the schedules of the two presidents.”

Putin will take a trip to Turkey for the conference with Erdogan, a leader who has actually handled to preserve cordial relations with Russia regardless of Turkey’s NATO subscription.

â $” Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine’s military verified Monday the retreat from the town of Lastochkyne in eastern Ukraine, marking another problem on the battleground 2 years into the war.

“Ukrainian Armed Forces units withdrew from the village of Lastochkyne in order to organise defences… and prevent the enemy from advancing further in a western direction,” military representative Dmytro Lykhoviy stated on tv, Reuters reported.

Russian forces have actually made a number of significant and small advances in current weeks, consisting of the capture of the commercial city of Avdiivka, along with a number of smaller sized settlements to the west of the city.

â $” Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin stated on Monday that a choice by Denmark to drop its examination into the 2022 Nord Stream 2 pipeline surges was “close to absurdity.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Denmark had actually acknowledged that the blasts had actually been an act of premeditated sabotage, however had actually chosen not to go even more with the examination anyhow due to the fact that the case included Copenhagen’s close allies.

He stated Denmark had actually declined demands to supply info about its examination.

â $” Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron will host more than 20 presidents and federal government agents for a conference on Ukraine in Paris on Monday.

“Two years after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, the participants will reaffirm their unity and their determination to defeat the war of aggression led by Russia in Ukraine,” the Elysee Palace stated in a declaration Monday.

German Chancellor  Olaf Scholz, U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron  and Polish President  Andrzej Duda  will be amongst authorities participating in the conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deal with the conference by means of videolink.

“This conference will be an opportunity to share observations of the situation on the ground, the profound destabilization caused by Russia and its renewed aggressiveness against Ukraine and against Europe,” it included.

The conference is a chance to study the methods readily available to react ever faster and effectively to the requirements of Ukraine and its individuals, the president’s workplace stated.

An unnamed French governmental authorities was priced quote by news outlet France 24 as stating that the conference was developed to oppose any “impression that things are falling apart” after Ukraine’s current obstacles on the battleground.

On Friday, the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the war, Macron commented that Ukraine was “battered and bruised, but still standing.”

“Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe. Our commitment at its side will not waver,” Macron composed on X, previously called Twitter.

â $” Holly Ellyatt

China strongly opposes the United States enforcing sanctions on Chinese business for Russia- associated factors, the Chinese commerce ministry stated onMonday

China will take needed steps to strongly protect the genuine rights and interests of Chinese business, the ministry stated in a declaration on its site.

The Biden administration on Friday revealed brand-new trade limitations on 93 entities from Russia, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea for supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The action, one day before the 2nd anniversary of Russia’s intrusion of Ukraine, basically prohibits U.S. deliveries to the targeted entities, consisting of 8 from China, 63 from Russia, 16 from Turkey and 4 from the UAE.

â $” Reuters

Russia is preparing a brand-new offensive versus Ukraine that might start in late May or summertime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Sunday, rejecting that his nation is at its weakest point in the war.

“We will prepare for their assault. Their assault that began on Oct. 8 has not brought any results, I believe. We, for our part, will prepare our plan and follow it,” Zelenskyy informed press reporters in Kyiv, Reuters reported.

He rejected Ukraine is at the weakest point in the war, rather informing NBC that this is the most challenging time for unity.

“I don’t think that now it’s the weakest moment,” he stated. “The weakest, or rather, [the most] stunning minute was on February 24, 2 years earlier. Now is the hardest minute for our unity. If all of us split, both externally with the partners, and God forbid, internally, then it would be the weakest minute. It hasn’t took place yet,” Zelenskyy informed NBC’s Richard Engel at a press conference Sunday.

Zelenskyy stated occasions in the Middle East had actually sidetracked attention from Ukraine, keeping in mind that this had actually accompanied completion of Ukraine’s summertime counteroffensive and Russia starting offending operations.

“Now we simply see the effects, when we are deteriorated by the amount of weapons. Otherwise we would not observe it … The help bundle has actually deteriorated â $” we have actually deteriorated on the battleground, in those instructions that you pointed out,” Zelenskyy stated.

He stated the very first year of the war had to do with survival, the 2nd year about strength, and as Russia and Ukraine get in a 3rd year of war, the nation deals with obstacles in the kind of elections, war and financing tiredness.

 â $” Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr  Zelenskyy  stated Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have actually been eliminated considering that Russia’s intrusion 2 years earlier.

“31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in this war. Not 300,000 or 150,000, or whatever Putin and his lying circle are saying. But each of these losses is a great loss for us,” Zelenskyy stated at a press conference.

He stated he might not reveal the variety of injured due to the fact that it would assist Russian military preparation.

It’s the very first time Ukraine has actually released a main death toll considering that late2022 The real figure is most likely to be far greater, with U.S. authorities approximating last August that a minimum of 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers had actually passed away which as much as 120,000 had actually been hurt.

Russia is likewise tight-lipped about military losses, although both sides declare to have actually caused 10s of countless casualties upon each other’s forces. Zelenskyy declared Sunday that 180,000 Russian soldiers had actually been eliminated in action throughout the war. CNBC was not able to validate the claims.