From today's Defense One Debrief-

Trump joins Putin’s Ukraine blame game

Almost exactly three years ago, Russia’s military launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a young democracy on Russia’s western border with Europe. The invasion quickly turned into the largest war on European soil since Hitler invaded Poland in 1939.    For several weeks leading up to February 24, 2022, White House officials declassified surveillance imagery for European allies and the wider public to argue a likely Russian invasion appeared to be imminent—and it appeared to be much larger than Russia’s 2014 covert invasion, which involved soldiers in unmarked uniforms purporting to be separatists longing to annex portions of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Within three years, Russian leader Vladimir Putin openly admitted those were in fact Russian soldiers, and not separatists or “little green men,” as Putin initially suggested.     Just days before the larger invasion began, top Russian officials said there were no plans to invade Ukraine and that Russia is “not going to attack anyone.” You can read over an accounting of those public statements via a fairly lengthy timeline published the day of the invasion by FactCheck.org.

It remains important to remind ourselves of this sequence of events, which has sent shockwaves through European capitals as their under-prepared militaries face the prospect of another war on the continent. So moved were those nations that previously neutral Finland and Sweden rushed their applications to join the Russia-focused NATO alliance; and after some drama and hesitation by officials in Hungary and Turkey, those applications were approved by lawmakers from every member of the alliance. It can feel like these events happened long ago; but they are all still very recent, and the effects are still reverberating across both sides of the Atlantic.    Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to rewrite that history of Ukraine’s invasion, telling reporters that current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “should have never started it.” Trump found himself in a defensive position Tuesday after the White House announced it would launch talks with Russia’s leader on the future of the war in Ukraine—but those talks hosted in Saudi Arabia, notably, would not include Ukrainian officials. The first such meeting occurred Tuesday and featured the top diplomats from both countries. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy condemned any such talks on the future of Ukraine without Ukraine; and his remarks had upset Trump on Tuesday.    “Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed,” Zelenskyy said during a trip to Turkey on Tuesday.    “I think I have the power to end this war,” said Trump. But “Today I heard, ‘Oh, well we weren’t invited,’” the U.S. leader told reporters, referring to Zelenskyy’s concerns. “Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should’ve ended it in three years.”    “You should have never started it,” Trump alleged, falsely. “You could have made a deal,” the U.S. president said of Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters from his golf resort in Florida on Tuesday. “I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land, and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished and not one dome would have been knocked down. But they chose not to do it that way.”   Why bring it up: Trump showed the world that, at least for now, he has “sided fully with Russia’s narrative blaming Ukraine for the war,” Catherine Porter and Andrew Higgins of the New York Times report. Their colleague Peter Baker described it as “one of the most jaw-dropping pivots in American foreign policy in generations, a 180-degree turn that will force friends and foes to recalibrate in fundamental ways.”   What’s going on? “In Mr. Trump’s circle, the pivot is a necessary corrective to years of misguided policy,” Baker explains. “He and his allies see the cost of defending Europe as too high, given other needs,” including China’s much-lauded economic and military power.    Zelenskyy’s reply: “We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia,” he said at a press conference Wednesday.    “Unfortunately, he is living in this disinformation space,” said Zelenskyy. “I want there to be more truth in Trump’s team,” he added. Zelenskyy spoke just ahead of a meeting with Trump’s top Russia and Ukraine envoy, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg.   “Part of my mission is to sit and listen,” Kellogg said upon arriving to Kyiv, the Associated Press reports. “We understand the need for security guarantees,” he said, and added, “It’s very clear to us the importance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as well.”    Trump’s blaming of Ukraine also shook French President Emmanuel Macron of France, who the Times reports “called a second emergency meeting of European allies on Wednesday to devise a united response to President Trump's remarks embracing Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Ukraine is to blame for the war.”    One Ukrainian soldier told the Wall Street Journal Trump’s comments showed “a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the war, its real causes and the mentality of the Ukrainian people.”    “Russia doesn’t want to negotiate with Ukraine, it wants to destroy it,” a different Ukrainian officer said. “So negotiations with them are impossible unless victory on the battlefield becomes impossible for them.”    An artillery officer warned, “When authoritarian terror faces no resistance, it doesn’t stop—it spreads, like mold. Let it consume Ukraine, and the entire free world will suffocate in distrust and drown in fear.” Read on, here.

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The United States has refused to co-sponsor a draft U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and objected to a G7 statement calling Russia the “aggressor” in the war, senior diplomatic officials said yesterday. Tom Balmforth, Emma Farge, and Sabine Siebold report for Reuters; Christopher Miller, Henry Foy, and Myles McCormick report for the Financial Times.

The Trump administration has given Ukraine an “improved” minerals agreement draft, Ukrainian and U.S. officials say. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.

U.S. and Russian participants have met in Switzerland for unofficial talks in the past months, including as recently as last week, sources say. It is unclear whether governments sent the meetings’ attendees and whether Ukrainians were present. Gram Slattery and Emma Farge report for Reuters. 

The Trump administration has no plans to impose the terms of a bilaterally negotiated peace deal on Ukraine and the Russia-United States talks were meant to test whether the Kremlin was serious about peace negotiations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European diplomats in a call this week. Michael Schwirtz and Adam Entous report for the New York Times.

Any plan to send European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine would be unacceptable for Russia, a Kremlin spokesperson said yesterday. Reuters reports.

Ukraine has attempted to install tiny bombs in the goggles that Russian soldiers use to control drones in a plan inspired by Israel’s exploding pagers plot, a senior Ukrainian official confirmed yesterday. Kim Barker and Michael Schwirtz report for New York Times.

Ukraine’s air force shot down 87 drones, with 70 more probably lost to electronic countermeasures, the country’s military said, as it responded to an overnight attack in which Russia launched 160 drones. Two ballistic missiles also targeted Odesa.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had agreed to resume dialogue with the US on “all parameters” regarding the war on Ukraine, including prisoner exchanges.  He also slammed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “inadmissible” and “unacceptable” remarks about other heads of state, after Zelenskyy accused US President Donald Trump of living in a Russian-fuelled “disinformation bubble” when it came to Ukraine.

White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz also criticised Zelenskyy’s comments, saying Ukraine needs to “tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal”, referring to the rare earth minerals that the US now wants for helping Kyiv’s war effort."

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"President Donald Trump has reversed course and said Russia did in fact invade Ukraine, and that Kyiv would soon sign a minerals agreement with Washington as part of efforts to end the war. He had blamed Ukraine earlier this week for starting the conflict. Trump also said Ukraine has no cards to play with, as he pushes Kyiv to sign a critical minerals agreement while Washington pursues talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said separately that Ukrainian and US teams were working on a draft agreement, which he said would have “a fair result”.

After speaking to the leaders of allied countries, including Germany and Poland, Zelenksyy said Europe must do “much more” to bring peace.

Germany said Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Zelenskyy agreed in a phone call that Ukraine must have a seat at the table in peace talks.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has urged Zelenskyy to keep up calm and constructive cooperation with Trump. Duda is due to meet Trump in Washington on Saturday, Poland’s state news agency PAP reported.

US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency." (No surprise with this approach.)

Monday Russia-Ukraine update on the 3rd anniversary of the Russian invasion:

"The Trump administration on Friday has called on Ukraine to replace its draft U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s war with a U.S.-sponsored statement with no mentions of Russian responsibility, diplomats say. Ukraine refused to withdraw the resolution, an official added. Siobhán O'Grady, Karen DeYoung, Michael Birnbaum, and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post.

U.S. negotiators have raised the possibility of cutting off Ukraine’s access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet system if Ukraine does not agree to a minerals deal, sources say. On Saturday, the Polish deputy prime minister said that Poland has been paying for Ukraine's Starlink subscription and “cannot imagine” a contract for a commercial service to which Warsaw is a party being terminated.  Andrea Shalal and Joey Roulette report for Reuters; Reuters reports.

The United States expects an agreement on U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals to be signed this week, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.

Ukraine and the United States are still negotiating the deal to trade Ukraine’s minerals for American aid, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday, adding that he rejected the latest U.S. proposal requiring Ukraine to pay $500 billion using its natural resources revenues. Constant Méheut and Andrew E. Kramer report for the New York Times.

Zelenskyy yesterday said he is ready to give up his position in exchange for peace in Ukraine or NATO membership. Max Hunder, Anastasiia Malenko, and Yuliia Dysa report for Reuters.

Russia has launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine to date on the eve of the third anniversary of Moscow’s invasion, Zelenskyy said yesterday. Elena Giordano reports for POLITICO.

On the eve of the anniversary, President Vladimir Putin said Russian soldiers were defending “national interests” at the risk of their lives in Ukraine and pledged to continue with an “unchanged” strategy for strengthening the armed forces.  Putin also said in a military decorations award ceremony that God and fate entrusted him and the Russian army with “the mission” to defend the country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would never sell captured Ukrainian territories, claiming that “the people decided to join Russia a long time ago”.

Peskov also said US President Donald Trump’s hostility towards Zelenskyy was “understandable”, and accused Zelenskyy of repeatedly making “inappropriate remarks” against Trump.

Zelenskyy’s top aide Andriy Yermak said at a news conference that Kyiv could not compromise on independence, territorial integrity or sovereignty.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “very confident” that the war would end this week.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told reporters at a news conference that there was about $350bn worth of critical rare earth minerals in the Russia-occupied regions of the country.

Ukraine’s military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said in a news conference that 50 percent of Russia’s ammunition needs for the war were fulfilled by North Korea.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said the country was exploring alternatives to Starlink satellite internet service amid reports that the US could cease access to Kyiv. “We are already working on this. There are alternatives,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he was willing to step down as president if it meant Ukraine’s entry to NATO was guaranteed. “If there is peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I am ready,” he said.

He refused to accept that Kyiv owes Washington $500bn for aid provided in the past, and said the US gave $100bn in aid to Ukraine during the past three years and a touted minerals deal could not work if the US demands that aid be repaid.

Noting that about $15bn of previously pledged US aid to Ukraine has yet to be delivered, Zelenskyy said deploying American soldiers to Ukraine would be logical if the bilateral minerals deal included security guarantees."

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The United States yesterday joined Russia in voting against a draft U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 93 countries voting in favour of the resolution. The United States also abstained from voting on a separate resolution it sponsored after the General Assembly passed amendments introducing language condemning Russian aggression into its text. Eric Bazail-Eimil reports for POLITICO.

The U.N. Security Council yesterday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution taking a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the third anniversary of Moscow’s invasion. France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained and Russia voted in favor after vetoing European efforts to add language supporting Kyiv. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

More than a dozen European and Western leaders yesterday marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Kyiv, as EU foreign ministers adopted a new package of sanctions against Moscow targeting a cryptocurrency exchange for the first time. David L. Stern and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post; Reuters reports.

China and Russia are “true friends” whose ties wouldn’t be influenced by “any third party,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a call yesterday. Simone McCarthy and Nectar Gan report for CNN.

A truce between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed in the coming weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron said after White House talks with President Trump in which both leaders sought to project a picture of unity despite differing on how the conflict should be resolved. Bernd Debussmann Jr, Max Matza, and Peter Bowes report for BBC News.

Ukraine and the United States are close to striking a deal on Kyiv’s natural resource revenues, Trump and Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said yesterday. A proposal seen by the New York Times yesterday contained more favorable terms to Ukraine than previous drafts but did not include security guarantees requested by Kyiv. Constant Méheut reports.

Putin has said he “will accept” European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Trump claimed yesterday. Moscow has previously stated it would consider such a move an escalation in the conflict. Clea Caulcutt and Eli Stokols report for POLITICO.

Ukraine will need approximately $524 billion to rebuild its economy after Russia’s invasion, a study by the World Bank, U.N., EU, and the Ukrainian government released yesterday found. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters. "

Worth a quick read-

Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN's Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Chris Good

Trump World Order What does US President Donald Trump have in common with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?   In the view of Michael Kimmage, historian and director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, quite a bit. In a new Foreign Affairs essay on the world order Trump seems to prefer, Kimmage writes that they are all nationalists primarily concerned with the greatness of their own countries. “They are self-styled strongmen who place little stock in rules-based systems, alliances, or multinational forums,” Kimmage writes. “They embrace the once and future glory of the countries they govern, asserting an almost mystical mandate for their rule. Although their programs can involve radical change, their political strategies rely on strains of conservatism, appealing over the heads of liberal, urban, cosmopolitan elites to constituencies animated by a hunger for tradition and a desire for belonging.”   And they are now dominating the international arena, as the post-Cold War world order has given way to a “kaleidoscope” of national agendas.   On the bright side, Kimmage writes, the US could wield considerable power in the relatively lawless new arrangement, wherein powerful countries pursue their own interests and sometimes seek to change borders. More pessimistically, Kimmage writes, the rise of nationalism and the decline of the liberal world order could usher in serious danger. If borders are no longer sacrosanct—a precedent Russia has attempted to set by invading Ukraine—that could produce more war in Europe, where borders historically have been fought over, Kimmage warns.   “With Trump in power [in the US], conventional wisdom in Ankara, Beijing, Moscow, New Delhi, and Washington (and many other capitals) will decree that there is no one [international] system and no agreed-on set of rules,” Kimmage writes. “In this geopolitical environment, the already tenuous idea of ‘the West’ will recede even further … European countries have been conditioned to expect U.S. leadership in Europe and a rules-based order … outside Europe. Shoring up this order, which has been crumbling for years, will be left to Europe, a loose confederation of states with no army and with little organized hard power of its own … None of the usual descriptors of world order apply anymore: the international system is not unipolar or bipolar or multipolar. But even in a world without a stable structure, the Trump administration can still use American power, alliances, and economic statecraft to defuse tension, minimize conflict, and furnish a baseline of cooperation among countries big and small. That could serve Trump’s wish to leave the United States better off at the end of his second term than it was at the beginning.”

Thursday Middle East update:

"Hamas yesterday turned over the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, the hostages’ families confirmed. In a statement released today, Hamas also reiterated it is ready to begin talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. George Wright reports for BBC News; Reuters reports.

Israel will not withdraw from the strategic Philadelphi corridor in Gaza as agreed in the ceasefire deal to prevent weapons smuggling, an Israeli official said today. There was no immediate comment from Hamas or key mediator Egypt. Mohammad Jahjouh, Wafaa Shurafa, and Natalie Melzer report for AP News.

Iran is accelerating its production of near weapons-grade uranium, holding a sufficient amount of enriched uranium to potentially produce 6 atomic bombs, the International Atomic Energy Agency found in a report reviewed by AP News yesterday. Stephanie Lichtenstein reports. 

Qatar is delaying providing the new Syrian government with funds to increase public sector pay due to uncertainty over whether the transfers would breach U.S. sanctions, sources say. Timour Azhari and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters."

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian President Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” and not violate the terms of a potential peace deal with Ukraine, Trump said yesterday. The President also appeared uncommitted on whether the United States would intervene if Russia reneged on a peace promise, seemingly suggesting the U.S. presence tied to the minerals deal would be a sufficient security guarantee. Michael D. Shear and Shawn McCreesh report for the New York Times; Patrick Jackson reports for BBC News.

Trump yesterday predicted a “very good meeting” with “brave” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, a change of tone from last week’s critical remarks about the Ukrainian leader.  Patrick Jackson reports for BBC News.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s comments about Ukraine and Russia “coming close to signing something” during talks in Istanbul nearly three years ago were not intended to be an endorsement of Moscow’s stances that Ukraine should be largely demilitarized or that Russia should have a veto over security assurances for Ukraine, a source close to Witkoff said. Yaroslav Trofimov and Michael R. Gordon report for the Wall Street Journal.

Two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine while fighting in Russia’s Kursk region said they were told they would be facing South Koreans who were aiding Ukraine and instructed to evade capture at all costs in the Wall Street Journal’s first interview with Pyongyang’s troops by a Western media outlet. Matthew Luxmoore and Dasl Yoon report.

The Ukrainian military said it had shot down 107 drones out of 208 launched by Russia overnight. The air force said another 97 drones had been “lost” and did not reach their targets.

The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the latest round of talks with the US in Istanbul, calling them “substantive and businesslike.” The ministry said the delegations discussed issues related to what it said was the illegal confiscation of Russia’s diplomatic property in the US, and had asked the Americans to consider restoring direct air links.

Reuters news agency reported, quoting a senior Trump official, that the minerals deal does not include future Ukrainian war-fighting fund guarantees nor any commitment of US troop support.

NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s NATO allies are preparing billions in aid and security contribution guarantees.

Speaking with British PM Starmer, Trump also said he is confident that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would not attempt to restart a war on Ukraine once a truce is reached."

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine’s air defences destroyed 103 of 154 drones launched by Russia in an overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said. The other 51 drones were “locationally lost”, it said, likely as a result of electronic jamming.

An Oval Office meeting between United States President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a shouting match on Friday, as Trump threatened Zelenskyy, telling him: “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out.”

World leaders overwhelmingly expressed their support for Zelenskyy after his meeting with Trump in Washington, DC, ended abruptly with the two engaging in a heated exchange over Russia’s war against Kyiv.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on Zelenskyy to apologise for clashing with Trump, and “for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did”.

Zelenskyy said his relations with the US can still be repaired, after Trump shouted at him at the White House and accused him of refusing to make peace with Russia.

Trump said Zelenskyy “overplayed his hand” during their extraordinary Oval Office clash, accusing his visitor of wanting to drag out conflict with Russia. Trump added that he wants “a ceasefire now”.

Russia has announced it is sending a new ambassador, Alexander Darchiyev, to Washington, the latest sign of a thaw between the two countries as they try to mend their damaged relations and seek an end to the war in Ukraine.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia is ready for flexibility in talks on Ukraine, but only in accordance with the Russian constitution and realities on the ground, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. He also said Russia was ready to discuss a settlement of the crisis, but only with those “who are ready to communicate”."

Monday Middle East update:

"Israel will not allow humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas accepts Israel’s terms for continuing the ceasefire, Israeli officials said yesterday. Hamas previously rejected Israel’s plan to extend phase one of the ceasefire with further exchanges of hostages for Palestinian detainees, insisting on continuing negotiations on the withdrawal of the remaining Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent end to the conflict in accordance with the intended second phase of the deal. Mike Schwartz, Ibrahim Dahman, Tim Lister, and Edward Szekeres report for CNN; Samy Magdy reports for AP News; 

A number of Arab countries, the U.N., and humanitarian organizations have criticised Israel’s decision to withhold aid from Gaza, with mediators Egypt and Qatar accusing Israel of violating humanitarian law by using starvation as a weapon. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for humanitarian aid to flow back into Gaza immediately, a sentiment echoed by Doctors Without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Oxfam. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News; Sammy Westfall reports for the Washington Post.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invoked “emergency authorities” in a Saturday statement announcing the delivery of $4 billion in U.S. military assistance to Israel, the Trump administration’s second such delivery bypassing the process of congressional approval for arms exports. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.

Damascus is seeking to trade a sovereign debt relief agreement, return of assets, and an injection of reconstruction funds in exchange for allowing Russia to keep its Hmeimim and Tartous bases in Syria, according to Syrian, Russian, and diplomatic sources. Samia Nakhoul and Timour Azhari report for Reuters.

Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria decentralised and weak, including by letting Russia keep its bases in Syria to counter Turkey’s growing influence in the region, sources say. The extent to which the Trump administration is partial to Israel’s proposals is not clear, the sources added. Maya Gebeily and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.

Israel’s Netanyahu on Saturday said that he had instructed the Israeli military to “deliver a strong message” that if Syria’s new government “harms the Druse - it will be harmed by [Israel],” following a Friday night clash between Damascus security forces and the Druse community. Syrian Druse and government leaders rejected Netanyahu’s comments. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, one person was killed and nine others wounded in the clash. Raja Abdulrahim reports for the New York Times."

The below from Tom Nichols of "The Atlantic": Worth a read-

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The United States has paused all military aid to Ukraine until President Trump decides that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making a good-faith effort toward peace negotiations with Russia, a White House official has said. Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Jared Malsin report for the Wall Street Journal.

The White House has asked the State and Treasury Departments to draw up a plan to ease the U.S. sanctions on Russia and hopes to discuss the possible sanctions relief during talks with Moscow in the coming days, according to a U.S. official. Erin Banco reports for Reuters.

The United States-Ukraine minerals deal is not dead yet but Zelenskyy should be “more appreciative” of U.S. support, Trump told reporters yesterday. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.

Trump’s clash with Zelenskyy last week was “not spontaneous” but a “deliberate escalation” by the United States, said Friedrich Merz, Berlin’s likely next Chancellor, German media reported yesterday. Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.

The next round of Russia-United States talks on ending the war in Ukraine is unlikely to happen before the countries normalize embassy staffing levels, the Kremlin said yesterday. Reuters reports.

A drone attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa damaged energy infrastructure in the area, triggering power and heat supply interruptions in the city, regional Governor Oleh Kiper wrote. Odesa’s Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said the attack knocked out three boiler plants.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has announced that his country was ready to sign a planned deal on extracting strategically important minerals with the US “at any time” after Washington said it was suspending military support.  Shmygal also said that security guarantees from the US were of existential importance for both Ukraine and Europe, hours after Washington announced it was suspending military support to the war-torn country.

Ukraine should automatically become a NATO member if Russia breaches any ceasefire deal, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said, echoing an influential US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham."