Published on: 02/18/2026 - 06:50 Modified on: 02/18/2026 - 22:58

“We cannot say that the result is sufficient,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address, while new negotiations with Russia under American mediation were completed on Wednesday in Geneva. Find the thread from February 18.

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Russia, Ukraine close to agreement on ceasefire monitoring arrangements, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching an agreement establishing terms for monitoring a ceasefire aimed at ending four years of war, following US-led peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday.

Speaking on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show, Volodymyr Zelensky said progress on "political" issues had been slower and the country's leaders could try to reach an agreement among themselves on the most controversial issue - territory.

Sanctions hamper US-Russia economic relations, Kremlin says

Sanctions against Moscow are hampering the development of good economic and trade relations between the United States and Russia, Russian news agencies reported Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Sanctions, which we naturally consider illegal, hinder the smooth functioning of trade and economic relations between Russia and the United States. It is in our interests to develop them,” the agencies said, citing Dmitry Peskov.

“Many projects can be put on the agenda, but for that we must revitalize our relations”

White House says new talks on Ukraine will take place soon

The United States made significant progress in negotiations this week to end the war in Ukraine and more talks are planned in the near future, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

Former Ukrainian military leader Zaluzhny reveals new details about his dispute with Zelensky

Ukraine's former military leader has provided new details of his falling out with President Volodymyr Zelensky, threatening to escalate a long-simmering conflict between the two wartime leaders as new speculation swirls around post-war elections.

Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, who served as kyiv's commander-in-chief until February 2024 and is now ambassador to London, told The Associated Press that he felt threatened by a 2022 raid by security agents and blamed Zelensky for a major failure on the battlefield.

These remarks shed new light on this potential rivalry, which has long agitated the political class in kyiv.

“We cannot say that the result is enough,” says Zelensky about recent negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he was not satisfied with the latest talks with Russian negotiators, stressing that "sensitive political issues" had not been adequately addressed.

“At present, we cannot say that the result is sufficient,” he said in a late-night video address.

“Sensitive political issues, possible compromises and the necessary meeting of leaders have not yet been sufficiently addressed,” he added, while affirming that he wanted new negotiations to take place in February.

Vladimir Putin spoke with the Cuban Foreign Minister, reports RIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez at the Kremlin on Wednesday, as part of his visit to Moscow. He said new restrictions imposed on the communist island by the United States were "unacceptable", Russian news agencies reported.

“We are currently going through a special period, with new sanctions. You know our position on this subject,” Vladimir Putin told Bruno Rodriguez, according to the TASS news agency. “We don’t accept anything like that.”

The head of the Kremlin said that relations between Russia and Cuba were developing "in a positive way", TASS reported.

Ukrainian skeleton skier disqualified from Olympics plans to hold fundraiser for fallen athletes

Ukrainian skeleton skier Vladyslav Heraskevych is back in Ukraine, a few days after his disqualification on February 12.

He was disqualified 45 minutes before an event after refusing a request from the International Olympic Committee not to wear a helmet honoring more than 20 athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded his country four years ago.

Vladyslav Heraskevych announces that he plans to take advantage of his new notoriety to launch a fundraiser to benefit the families of the fallen Ukrainians whose portraits are painted on his helmet.

Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his helmet in front of a makeshift memorial to fallen soldiers of the Russian-Ukrainian war on Independence Square in kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, February 18, 2026. © Sergei Grits, AP Photo

NATO military exercise in Baltic Sea to deter Russia

Around 3,000 NATO troops, including Spanish and Turkish, took part in an exercise on Germany's Baltic coast. Defense officials called it a demonstration to deter Russia.

Naval and special forces practiced storming a beach at the Putlos training ground, near the port city of Kiel, as part of the Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise, which aims to test the alliance's ability to quickly move troops across NATO territory.

The exercise included German Eurofighter jets and 15 warships, as well as Spanish combat divers and Turkish units using Zaha amphibious assault vehicles.

2026 Paralympic Games: the Russian flag will return

Russian athletes will compete under their own flag at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade, and the country's national anthem will be played for all gold medalists.

This will be the first time the Russian flag will fly at the Paralympic Games since Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The Russian national anthem has not been heard during a gold medal performance at the Olympic or Paralympic Games since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.

The country's athletes were initially banned due to a state-backed doping program, and sanctions against Russia have continued since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Four South Africans recruited to fight for Russia against Ukraine have returned home, a local channel reports.

Four South Africans who were lured into joining mercenary forces in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and found themselves trapped in the Donbass region have landed at Johannesburg's main airport, state broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month. Following the call, the two leaders "pledged their support for the process of repatriation of South Africans fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine."

The South African government said in November it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined mercenary forces in Russia's conflict with Ukraine, after the men appealed for help to return home.

South African law prohibits citizens from providing military assistance to foreign governments or participating in foreign armies without government authorization.

Dmitry Medvedev says he spoke with Cuban Foreign Minister in Moscow

Vice President of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said he had spoken with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, currently visiting Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Cuban counterpart

in a separate meeting that Moscow urged the United States not to impose a total naval blockade on the communist island and instead advocated the diplomatic route.

The Cuban minister is also scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin later today.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, left, listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. © Hector Retamal, Pool Photo via AP

🎥 In video: Washington welcomes “significant progress”, Moscow speaks of “difficult” negotiations

Ukrainian and Russian positions still “differ” on key points, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after two days of “difficult” talks in Geneva aimed at ending four years of conflict in Ukraine.

Decryption with Karim Yahiaoui, international columnist France 24 ⤵️

Hungary announces that it will suspend its diesel deliveries to Ukraine due to the interruption of Russian oil supplies.

Hungary is suspending diesel deliveries to neighboring Ukraine until the interruption of Russian oil supplies via a pipeline crossing Ukrainian territory ends, the Hungarian foreign minister said.

Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since January 27, after what Ukrainian authorities say were Russian attacks that damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude to central Europe.

Hungary and Slovakia, which both benefited from a temporary waiver from the European Union policy banning imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine, without providing evidence, of deliberately withholding supplies.

In a video posted on social media on Wednesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary had sufficient oil reserves for more than three months and its energy security was assured.

Ukrainian officials announce they will boycott the 2026 Paralympics

Ukrainian officials will boycott the 2026 Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee said several Russian athletes would be allowed to compete under their national flag, kyiv announces.

"Ukrainian public officials will not attend the Paralympics. We will not be present at the opening ceremony. We will not participate in any other official events of the Paralympics," Sports Minister Matviy Bidny said on X.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called on other countries to also boycott the opening ceremony.

The head of the Russian delegation held a private meeting in Geneva with the Ukrainians after the official talks, RIA reports.

The head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky held a two-hour closed-door meeting with the Ukrainian side in Geneva on Wednesday after the end of official talks, Russia's official RIA news agency reported.

The formal talks, which were mediated by the United States, ended earlier today after just two hours, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling them "difficult" and accusing Russia of deliberately delaying progress toward a deal to end the four-year-old war.

European Sports Commissioner will not go to Paralympics opening ceremony to protest participation of Russian athletes

The European Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Glenn Micallef, who was to represent the EU at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics in March, announced that he would not attend, due to the authorization given to Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flags.

“As long as Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues, I cannot support the return of national symbols, flags, anthems and uniforms” of Russia and Ukraine in sports competitions, he explained on

Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be able to take part in the 2026 Paralympic Games, a decision which marks the return under their flag of two nations banned after the invasion of Ukraine launched by Moscow in February 2022.

“Difficult but professional” negotiations, according to the head of the Russian delegation

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinski, considered that the discussions organized in Switzerland had been “difficult but professional”.

“The negotiations took place for two days, they lasted a very long time yesterday, in different formats, and about two hours today,” he told Russian journalists from state media.

For his part, Ukraine's chief negotiator, Roustem Oumerov, said there had been "progress", but that no "details" could be disclosed "at this stage".

The positions of kyiv and Moscow still “differ” on key points, says Ukrainian president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the positions of kyiv and Moscow on a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine still "differ" on key points, after the holding of trilateral negotiations in Geneva.

These negotiations between Ukrainians, Russians and Americans ended Wednesday morning in Geneva after a meeting of less than two hours during the second day of these discussions.

“We can see that some preparatory work has been done, but for the moment, positions differ” on the “sensitive” issues of the territories and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian army, Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists, including those from AFP, referring to “not easy negotiations”.

These discussions were divided between two working groups: one on the political aspects of the settlement of the conflict, the other on the military aspects.

With AFP, AP and Reuters

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