Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey has said he hopes to be the minister who oversees the deployment of British troops to Ukraine, arguing that such a move would signal the end of Russia’s war.
Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure in multiple regions, Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday (22 February).
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved new sanctions targeting Russian maritime operators, defence-linked companies and individuals connected to Moscow’s military and energy sectors, according to official decrees issued on Saturday.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Saturday (21 February) that its forces had captured another settlement in eastern Ukraine.
Hungary announced on Friday it was blocking a €90 billion ($106 billion) European Union loan intended to support Ukraine’s 2026–2027 budget and military needs, citing disruptions to Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline.
Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics in Verona on 6 March, citing the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
Europe's five largest defence powers are teaming up on a multi-million-euro project to bring low-cost air-defence systems such as autonomous drones or missiles into production within 12 months, ministers meeting in Krakow, Poland, said on Friday (20 February).
Sixty-five-year-old Halyna Popriadukhina has fled her home three times as Russian troops have moved deeper into eastern Ukraine during four years of war. Tired of running, she hopes Ukraine can somehow hold them back.
Ukraine could export several billion dollars of military equipment and services this year after authorising its first wartime foreign sales, a senior government official said. The country is also considering introducing a tax on arms exports.
Hungary has suspended diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine with immediate effect and will not resume shipments until crude oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline is restored, said Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva ended after two days of negotiations that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as difficult, while signalling progress on the military track.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva had brought “meaningful progress” towards ending the war.
The United States and Iran reported measured progress after a new round of indirect talks in Geneva aimed at resolving the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Geneva is set to host two sets of negotiations on Tuesday, with U.S. officials meeting Iranian representatives in the morning and a trilateral session on Ukraine scheduled for the afternoon. The talks aim to advance a resolution of Iran’s nuclear programme and a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko has been detained while attempting to leave the country, anti-corruption authorities said on Sunday.
“Real security guarantees are needed before the war ends,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday (14 February), warning that Russian aggression shows no sign of relenting.
Europe heads into the Munich Security Conference, on Friday (13 February), amid deepening unease over U.S. policy, as President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on defence, trade and territory fuels doubts about Washington’s long-term commitment to transatlantic security.
Ukraine’s allies have pledged nearly $48 billion in military support at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels, vowing to intensify pressure on Russia and strengthen Kyiv’s battlefield position.
Russia’s car market is continuing to receive tens of thousands of foreign-brand vehicles via China despite sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a journalistic investigation has found.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (11 February) that his government will only hold national elections once a ceasefire with Russia is in place and security guarantees are secured, pushing back at suggestions of fresh ballots under pressure from international partners.
The Ukrainian capital came under a “massive” Russian missile attack early Thursday (12 February), with explosions heard across the capital according to authorities. The assault unfolded as uncertainty lingers over upcoming U.S.-brokered peace talks.
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