Cephalotrocity

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25963513

Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he is willing to resign if it ensures peace or NATO membership for Ukraine.

"If it is peace for Ukraine, and if you really want me to leave my post, I’m ready," he said. "Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership... I’m focusing on Ukraine’s security today, not in 20 years."

His comments come amid tensions with Donald Trump, who falsely suggested the Ukrainian president was responsible for starting the war.

Meanwhile, U.S.-Russia negotiations continue without Ukraine, which Zelenskyy firmly rejects. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of Ukrainian involvement in any peace negotiations.

Ukraine plans to end the war this year with a just peace, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said at the Ukraine: Year 2025 conference in Kyiv on Feb. 23.

Sybiha noted that this is the goal of President Volodymyr Zelensky and told partners that “it is time to fasten our diplomatic seat belts” and “not give in to emotions.”

“We are convinced that we really have a chance to end the war this year,” Sybiha said.

The court in the southwestern city of Wroclaw found the 51-year-old man, identified only as Serhyi S., guilty of being part of a criminal ring and of preparing to set fire to various structures in the city.

"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let him attack," he said.

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The Bulgarian parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a non-binding declaration on Feb. 21 that would seek to halt any deployment of military forces to Ukraine.

The declaration does not rule out Bulgarian forces participating in missions led by the United Nations (UN), EU, NATO, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Editor’s Note: This op-ed was first published by the Ukrainian NGO Civil Network OPORA as an open statement, which garnered nearly 300 signatures at the time it was published by the Kyiv Independent.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments about Ukraine are raising eyebrows — and spreading misinformation. He claimed that Ukraine was the one who started Russia's war, said that Ukraine had been “blown to smithereens,” and claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a 4% approval rating — none of which has a factual basis. How do actual Ukrainians feel about Trump’s words? The Kyiv Independent’s Masha Lavrova hit the streets of Kyiv to hear their raw, unfiltered reactions.

His proposal includes security guarantees for Ukraine, emphasizing that "NATO membership should remain on the table." He also called for immediate funding for arms and a 10-billion-euro ($10.4 billion) investment in Ukraine's defense industry.

The Lithuanian president also proposed accelerating Ukraine's EU accession, setting 2030 as the target date. "Ukraine's security is part of European security," he wrote.

EU ambassadors agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia, targeting aluminum imports and the "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, Euronews reported on Feb. 19.

The aluminum ban will be "phased in," while the package will also target 13 banks and other entities and individuals seen as helping Russia wage its full-scale war, the Financial Times reported.