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Russia handed over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, a Moscow official said Thursday, with Ukraine returning the bodies of 35 Russians in exchange. The exchange, one of many since Russia’s full-scale invasion, came as the US and Ukraine were set to open a new round of talks in Geneva aimed at ending the war. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Defence against Russian aggression would cost €1.2 trillion, Polish minister says
Defending NATO’s eastern flank in case of a potential Russian aggression would cost at least €1.2 trillion ($1.42 trillion), said Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a speech to parliament.
“Defending the countries of NATO’s eastern flank in the event of a potential Russian aggression would cost at least twelve hundred billion euros – twenty-four times more than the Polish defence budget,” Sikorski told lawmakers.
Russia launched 420 drones, 39 missiles at Ukraine, Zelensky says
Russian forces launched 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, in attacks that damaged energy infrastructure hours before Ukrainian and US officials were to meet in Geneva for talks.
“Last night, Russia once again waged war on critical infrastructure and ordinary residential buildings,” Zelensky said, adding that dozens were wounded in attacks across eight regions, with gas infrastructure and substations targeted in several areas, including outside Kyiv.
Russia launched 420 drones, 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Zelensky says
Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles to attack Ukraine’s energy sector and other critical
infrastructure overnight on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky said that dozens of people, including children, were wounded and damage was registered in eight Ukrainian regions.
Moscow’s forces also targeted gas infrastructure in the Poltava region and electricity substations in the Kyiv and Dnipro regions, he said.
US-Ukraine talks to open in Geneva after overnight Russian strikes
Kyiv and Washington were set to open a new round of talks in Geneva Thursday aimed at ending Moscow’s four-year invasion of Ukraine, as Russia launched fresh strikes overnight.
The meeting will bring together Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov and Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with a full trilateral session involving Russia expected in early March.
The meetings are the latest round of negotiations spearheaded by Trump that so far have failed to make meaningful progress on ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, injuring at least 20 people
Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, causing damage to residential buildings and injuring about 20 people in the eastern and southern regions, local authorities said on Thursday.
Ballistic and cruise missiles were directed at Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv in the east of the country, while drones attacked Zaporizhzhia in the south.
At least 14 people were injured in the Kharkiv region, including a seven-year-old boy, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram, adding that the city itself had been attacked by two missiles and 17 drones.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said that at least seven people were injured in the overnight attack on the city and that Russian drones damaged 19 apartment buildings, while another 500 homes were left without heating due to damage to infrastructure.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Ukraine war.
Yesterday’s key developments:
- Trump and Zelensky speak ahead of fresh Ukraine talks
- Ukrainian negotiator to meet US team on Thursday, Zelensky says
- First Ukrainian military plant in the UK has started operations, Ukraine’s ambassador says
- Russia attacks Ukraine’s gas facilities for two days in a row, Naftogaz says
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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