Kremlin cautions against expecting progress on first day of Geneva talks
The Kremlin has sought to lower expectations ahead of the latest round of Ukraine peace talks in Geneva, saying no announcements should be expected on...
Ukrainian officials reported on Friday that thousands of children and their parents were evacuated from frontline areas in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions as Russian forces continued to advance.
Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram: “Due to the difficult security situation, over 3,000 children and their parents have been forcibly evacuated from 44 frontline settlements.” Evacuations are also ongoing in the northern Chernihiv region.
Kuleba added that since 1 June, a total of 150,000 people have been moved from frontline areas to safer regions, including around 18,000 children and more than 5,000 people with limited mobility.
Russian troops continue to push through the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region. The evacuation orders came after Russia launched a major drone attack on Zaporizhzhia overnight, with regional administration head Ivan Fedorov reporting that at least nine drones struck the city, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, but causing no casualties.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 116 long-range drones overnight, 86 of which were intercepted, while 27 reached their targets.
Russian territorial gains
Data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project show that the Russian army captured more than 5,600 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in 2025. While this exceeds gains from the previous two years combined, it remains far below the more than 60,000 square kilometres taken in 2022.
Diplomatic efforts
Kyiv is hosting security advisors from allied states on Saturday, with representatives from the European Union, NATO, and the United States joining, the latter via video link. The talks will be followed by a summit of leaders from the “coalition of the willing” planned next week in France.
In his New Year’s Eve address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a US-brokered peace deal is “90 per cent” ready, but the key issue of territorial disputes remains unresolved.
The diplomatic push comes as Russia continues to press its advantage on the battlefield against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Cuba’s fuel crisis has turned into a waste crisis, with rubbish piling up on most street corners in Havana as many collection trucks lack enough petrol to operate.
Norway is holding a commanding lead in the medal standings with 12 golds and a total of 26, with Italy having an historic performance on home soil on the ninth day of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday (15 February).
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy held military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (16 February), state-linked media reported. The drill took place a day before renewed nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Geneva.
The Somali Army carried out a targeted airstrike in southern Somalia, killing 15 al-Shabaab militants, the country’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
The Kremlin has sought to lower expectations ahead of the latest round of Ukraine peace talks in Geneva, saying no announcements should be expected on Tuesday as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday (17 February), marking an important political shift in the South Asian nation following a period of turmoil.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States as a "good start" as negotiations concluded on Tuesday (17 February) at the Omani consulate in Geneva.
Spain’s government has instructed prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok over the alleged creation and dissemination of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday.
Jesse Jackson, one of the most prominent figures of the modern American civil rights movement and a two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died at the age of 84, his family has announced.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment