Listed below are the important thing developments on the 1,092nd day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Right here is the scenario on Thursday, February 20:
Combating
- A person was killed in a Ukrainian drone assault in Russia’s Belgorod area, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated.
- A “large” Russian assault on the port metropolis of Odesa in southwestern Ukraine left 4 individuals hospitalised and a big residential space – protecting 14 colleges and about 160,000 residents – with out warmth, water or electrical energy, Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov stated.
- A Russian guided bomb killed at the least one individual in Ukraine’s northeastern metropolis of Kupiansk, in keeping with Kharkiv area’s Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
- Ukraine stated Russia launched 167 drones and two missiles in in a single day assaults. Ukrainian forces shot down 106 of these drones, whereas 56 extra failed to succeed in their targets. They didn’t specify what occurred to the remaining 5.
- Ukraine’s army additionally stated they destroyed a North Korean self-propelled M-1978 Koksan howitzer within the Luhansk area, marking the primary time a weapon of this nature has been hit.
- South Korean newspaper, The Chosun Ilbo, has interviewed two North Korean troopers detained in Ukraine. The pair revealed they have been instructed they have been being despatched to Russia for coaching by the Reconnaissance Basic Bureau, North Korea’s clandestine operations intelligence company.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has introduced that fighters from the 810th brigade crossed into Ukrainian territory within the Sumy area in a single day. Kyiv has denied the declare.
- Putin additionally steered a Ukrainian drone assault on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in southern Russia could have been coordinated with European powers, saying Kyiv couldn’t have carried out such an assault with out Western intelligence.
- Kremlin forces are just a little greater than 4 miles (6.4km) from the Shevchenko lithium deposit in Ukraine’s japanese Donetsk area, and are advancing on it from three angles, the Reuters information company reported, citing open-source information from Ukrainian army weblog DeepState.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Kyiv’s exclusion from current talks between Russia and the US as he spoke to reporters at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkiye following his assembly with Turkish chief Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Putin assured Ukraine it could not be omitted of ceasefire talks, however stated their success would hinge on resetting bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington, which reached “beneath zero” underneath the Biden administration.
- Zelenskyy took to social media to model Russia’s leaders “pathological liars” and warned that “they can’t be trusted and have to be pressured – for the sake of peace”.
- Trump hit back at Zelenskyy over his complaints about being excluded from peace talks, as he additionally blamed the Ukrainian chief for Russia’s invasion in 2022. “You’ve been there for 3 years,” Trump stated. “It is best to have by no means began it. You might have made a deal.”
- Zelenskyy has additionally slammed the rare earth elements deal proposed by Trump, saying he’s open to the US investing in Ukraine’s pure sources, however Kyiv must also obtain safety ensures.
- He stated Trump’s demand for $500bn of uncommon earths for earlier US help is “not a severe dialog”, claiming Washington has equipped Ukraine with solely $67bn in weapons and $31.5bn in different monetary help.
- Zelenskyy additionally rejected Trump’s claims about his approval rankings being at 4 %, dismissing it as Russian disinformation and saying the US president is trapped in a “disinformation bubble”.
- Trump referred to as Zelenskyy a “dictator with out elections” and warned that the Ukrainian chief “higher transfer quick or he isn’t going to have a rustic left”.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Putin and Trump may meet in individual earlier than the tip of February, in keeping with Russian state media.
- After talking with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, French Overseas Minister Jean-Noel Barrot instructed European overseas ministers he believes Washington needs an enduring peace deal for Ukraine. Barrot stated the White Home’s “goal was not a fragile ceasefire or a transitional pause that may permit Russia to rebuild their forces, however an enduring peace”.
- Kazakhstan’s first Deputy Overseas Minister Akan Rakhmetullin stated Astana has contacted Ukraine after a drone assault in Russia this week which hit a Kazakh oil pipeline.
- Trump’s particular envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, travelled to Kyiv earlier than deliberate conferences with Zelenskyy and different Ukrainian officers. “We’re very clear that [security guarantees are] vital within the sovereignty of this nation,” Kellogg stated, in keeping with Ukrainian outlet Suspilne.
- The European Union has agreed on a brand new bundle of sanctions which might place a ban on importing Russian aluminium, the bloc’s diplomats stated. The choice is but to be formally authorised by EU overseas ministers.
