Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia’s military failed to achieve aims it set out last year and would have difficulty fulfilling advances that Moscow hoped to achieve.
Addressing journalists in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said Moscow’s plans of seizing all of eastern Ukraine and areas further south remained unchanged.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces want the occupation of the east of Ukraine, specifically the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv “does not see that they have the capability to accomplish the tasks” for the moment.
The assessment from Kyiv comes at a time when the planned trilateral peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the US, are in peril due to the escalating conflict in the Gulf region.
Speaking to journalists, Ukraine’s war-time leader said he could not confirm the venue but stressed “no one has cancelled” the meeting.
“If there are difficulties with Abu Dhabi due to missiles and drones, then I think we have Türkiye, we have Switzerland – venues that have already worked and allowed us all to meet. We will definitely support any of these three venues for the meeting. We are waiting for a response from our partners,” Zelensky said.
Kremlin says Russia remains open to peace talks despite impasse
A Bloomberg News report on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter, indicated that Russian officials increasingly saw little reason to continue the US-led talks unless Kyiv signalled a willingness to surrender territory.
Five injured in huge Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian port city
A massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight targeted the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk, a key port and naval base.
The assault resulted in at least five people being injured and 20 buildings damaged, including residential blocks, private houses, and kindergartens.
Russia’s defence ministry reported downing 172 Ukrainian drones, with 67 intercepted over the Black Sea and 66 over the Krasnodar region, where Novorossiysk is located.
A state of emergency was declared in Novorossiysk following the “strongest strike,” according to the Krasnodar region governor.
Although drone debris fell on a grain terminal in Novorossiysk, officials confirmed that no damage was caused to the facility.
Iranian drones buzz across the Persian Gulf after their pivotal use by Russia in Ukraine
The distinctive buzz of Iranian-designed drones has become a familiar sound in Ukraine over the past four years. Now, it’s increasingly heard across the Persian Gulf as Tehran strikes back with the cheap but effective weapons following the attack by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
The Shahed drones have made a transformative impact on modern warfare, with Russia sending swarms of the deadly weapons into the skies above Ukraine on nightly missions.
While ballistic and cruise missiles fly much faster and pack a bigger punch, they cost millions and are available only in limited quantities. A Shahed drone costs only tens of thousands of dollars — a tiny fraction of a ballistic missile.
Russian army sees slowest advance since 2024 after Starlink snapped
The Russian army has seen its slowest advance on the war frontline in nearly two years, a US-based think tank monitoring the conflict has said.
At the same time, Kyiv’s troops scored several localised breakthroughs, an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War said, adding that Ukrainian forces saw the most success along the southern frontline and pushing back Russian army in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Moscow has been grinding forward in the east, moving closer towards the key hubs of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and occupies just over 19 per cent of Ukraine, the ISW said.
Ukrainian troops managed several localised advances during February, with a 61 sq km gain on 15 February and gains of more 50 sq km on 21 February and 23 February.
The gains for Ukraine also coincided with Russian troops slowing down at the frontline after Elon Musk cut the Starlink access for Moscow’s forces.
Putin’s troops will have difficulty fulfilling planned advances, says Zelensky
Russia’s military had failed to achieve aims it set out last year and would have difficulty fulfilling advances he said Moscow hoped to achieve, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Addressing journalists in Kyiv, Zelensky said Moscow’s plans of seizing all of eastern Ukraine and areas further south remained unchanged.
The Ukrainian leader added that Moscow also hoped to advance towards the southeastern city of Dnipro and was also considering how to make gains in the southern Odesa region on the Black Sea.
Ukraine, he said, had secured maps outlining Russian plans for 2026-2027 but the maps had “nothing in common with reality” because Russia could not accomplish the task.
“We understand what they want. We understand that their directions remain current – the occupation of the east of our country, specifically the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” he said.
“They certainly want to continue in the direction of the Zaporizhzhia region and toward the city of Dnipro. And although it is difficult for them, they are looking toward the Odesa region,” Zelensky said.
“For the moment, he said, Ukraine “does not see that they have the capability to accomplish the tasks we saw on those maps” but the state of things would depend on the supply of weapons to Kyiv and on Ukraine’s own domestic production.
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Russian drone hits train in Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one, Kyiv says
A Russian drone hit a commuter train on Monday in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, killing one person and wounding seven people, deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on the Telegram messaging app. Regional officials said two children were among those wounded in the attack.
Source: independent.co.uk