Zelenskyy to carry press convention after Trump suggests Ukraine guilty for Russian invasion – Europe stay

Lavrov additionally speaks about Russia’s alliances with Belarus, North Korea, China and Iran, and nations in Africa.

He says the “comprehensive partnership with China” was “at an unprecedented level and exceeding any prior alliances of a classic type,” with each leaders attending vital anniversaries in one another’s nations.

He additionally praises Russia’s relations with India.

He additionally talks about Russia’s plans to “replace the Euro-Atlantic model that is bankrupt,” with a brand new initiative “open to all alliances on the continent, including the European part of the greater Eurasia.”

Russian international minister Sergei Lavrov is talking within the Russian parliament in Moscow.

He says that Russian diplomacy is “carrying out tasks set by the President, who has talked about it in details at his annual press conference and in many interviews.”

However he talks in regards to the broader change in international politics:

I’ll let you know one thing that may be a key subject for us at this stage of worldwide growth, and that’s our transfer in direction of a multipolar world. It’s a historic course of, and it’s to do with the subjective development of latest energy centres showing on the world map.

He continues:

Our companions within the International South and within the east are distinctive civilisations and religions and are members of assorted integration associations, however all of them are united by a want in direction of growth, progressive growth with out exterior stress…

He then turns to assault the West, amusingly making an attempt to painting Russia because the chief of “progressive humanity” revolting in opposition to the West’s dominance in international politics.

On the identical time, we should state that the collective West, though verbally are in settlement and accepting the multipolar realities, in actuality, they nonetheless wish to protect their former dominance within the West.

…

The collective West can’t unite and is unable to surrender the egocentric habits that it was ruled by within the final 5 centuries when it dominated the world.

He additionally repeats his verbal assaults on Ukraine.

in Brussels

EU sanctions in opposition to Russia will likely be prolonged to cowl aluminium imports and dozens extra “shadow” vessels covertly exporting Russian oil under a value cap imposed by western allies.

The approval of the bundle carries further weight, amid fears in Brussels that Donald Trump will search to carry US sanctions in opposition to Russia as a part of his effort to make a peace deal.

The brand new bundle, sixteenth for the reason that full scale invasion in 2022, contains a ban on imports of Russian aluminium into the EU, mentioned by EU officers to generate vital revenues for Russia. An extra 73 vessels believed to be circumventing the oil value cap will likely be banned from EU ports, though that doesn’t cowl all of the ageing tankers considered serving to Russia evade sanctions.

A complete of 48 individuals and 35 entities face asset freezes and journey bans, though their names haven’t been revealed. The EU can be eradicating broadcasting licences from 8 Russian media retailers and excluding 13 banks from Swift worldwide funds system.

In an earlier draft the EU deliberate to cease the sale of video games consoles and joysticks to Russia, that are considered repurposed to be used in drone warfare. Diplomatic sources didn’t instantly verify if this stuff made the ultimate listing, forward of the anticipated publication of the sanctions subsequent week.

Jakub Krupa

Zelenskyy’s press convention has been pushed again, so we could have to attend a bit longer – however be assured that we are going to convey you all the important thing traces when it occurs.

The Kremlin mentioned this morning that any Putin-Trump assembly would take time to arrange, however may come earlier than the tip of the month, Tass and Interfax information businesses are reporting.

This can alarm European allies, after Trump was requested in a single day if he may meet with Putin in February, and mentioned: “Probably.”

UK prime minister Keir Starmer is the primary European chief anticipated to satisfy with Trump in particular person sooner or later subsequent week and European allies will hope this occurs earlier than the US president meets Putin.

Elsewhere, we’ve got additionally hear from the Vatican this morning, as they issued a medical replace on Pope Francis after his fifth night time on the Gemelli hospital in Rome.

“The pope spent a peaceful night, woke up and had breakfast,” the Vatican mentioned.

On Tuesday night, the Vatican mentioned that “the laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” with “the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy.”

US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg has simply arrived to Kyiv.

Talking to reporters on the practice station, he says the US administration is listening to Ukrainian arguments, and stresses the US administration understands the necessity for safety ensures.

“My mission is to sit and listen and say, what are your concerns, … then go back to the US, talk to president Trump, secretary Rubio and the rest of the team, and just ensure that we get this one right,” he says.

Requested how assured he’s {that a} good resolution might be discovered, he says he’s at all times assured of every little thing.

Kellogg was in Brussels and Warsaw yesterday, the place he met with European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president António Costa, and Polish President Andrzej Duda.

And simply earlier than Zelenskyy speaks, we’re getting reviews that EU envoys agreed on the sixteenth bundle of sanctions in opposition to Russia, EU diplomats instructed Reuters.

Sanctions embrace a Russian main aluminium import ban and itemizing of 73 new shadow fleet vessels.

We’ll get extra element on this quickly from the EU, little doubt.

Jakub Krupa

We predict to listen to from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly.

We’ll convey you the most recent right here when he speaks.

Morning opening: Trump confuses Europe, once more

Jakub Krupa

You simply by no means know the place issues are going to go along with US president Donald Trump.

When he began speaking about Ukraine final night time, at first, he appeared to present his approval to the concept of deploying European peacekeeping forces there (“all for” and “fine”) and mentioned he had no plans for pulling out US troops from Europe, regardless of some strategies that Russia’s Putin would ask him to try this. To this point, so good.

However the longer his assertion continued, the more serious it grew to become for Ukraine.

Trump finally mentioned that Zelenskyy “should have never started it, … could have made a deal,” as if it was Ukraine who invaded Russia and never the opposite method spherical, and repeated Russian key calls for for elections in Ukraine, with unfounded allegations on president Zelenskyy’s poor approval ranking.

This can ring alarm bells in Ukraine and throughout Europe once more.

The US president additionally mentioned final night time that he was “much more confident” of a deal after the talks, including “they were very good,” and that Russia “want to stop the savage barbarism.”

(Whisper it, however they’ll do it fairly simply, being those who invaded.)

As Sean Savett, who was the spokesperson for the White Home Nationwide Safety Council underneath then-president Joe Biden, mentioned extra bluntly in a social media submit: “Sounds like Trump bought Putin’s propaganda hook, line, and sinker.

On Tuesday, US state secretary Marco Rubio debriefed the Quint – France, Germany, Italy and the UK – and the European Union on the talks, promising they will stay “in close contact as we work to achieve a durable end to the conflict in Ukraine.”

However EU international coverage chief Kaja Kallas issued a pointed warning: “Russia will try to divide us. Let’s not walk into their traps.”

One subject that was mentioned throughout final night time’s talks was a proposed moratorium on assaults on the power infrastructure of Russia and Ukraine. It was rejected by Russian international minister Sergei Lavrov, who insisted at his press convention that the Russians would by no means try this anyway as they solely assault reputable navy targets.

You may be shocked – shocked! – to listen to that Ukraine reported in a single day a Russian assault on power infrastructure within the southern area of Odesa, leaving at the very least 160,000 residents with out heating and energy. It’s -7 levels Celsius there.

Extra European allies are anticipated to satisfy in Paris at present after protests over their exclusion from the hand-picked group invited for Monday’s first spherical of talks. The invitees reportedly embrace Norway, Canada, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden and Belgium. We’re but to formally hear about it from the Élysée Palace.

Little question there will likely be extra consultations happening behind the scenes, and US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellog will likely be in Kyiv at present.

I’ll convey you the most recent.

It’s Wednesday, 19 February 2025, and that is Europe stay. It’s Jakub Krupa right here.

Good morning.