BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – FEBRUARY 13: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) greets Supreme Allied … [+] Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli (L) as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (C) looks on before the start of the North Atlantic Council meeting of Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters during the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting on February 13, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. NATO Defence Ministers are convening in Brussels for a meeting chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Also in attendance is US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marking the first visit to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration. High on the agenda for the allies will be ascertaining how the US intends to influence the trajectory of the war in Ukraine, as the conflict nears the third anniversary since Russia’s full-scale invasion. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,087.
Rising Turmoil Around Ukraine’s Peace Talks.
Outlining his stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the potential for a diplomatic resolution, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on February 12 that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin might soon take place in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in facilitating the talks in what he described as an ideal location for such negotiations. Concurrently, China has offered to help organize a U.S.-Russia summit and assist in post-conflict peacekeeping. The initiative has met skepticism in both Europe and the U.S. in view of China’s ties to the Kremlin.
Trump reiterated that his administration’s priority remains the cessation of hostilities, with continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine contingent on securing guarantees for the financial aid provided. Trump further asserted that while some Ukrainian territories might eventually return to Kyiv’s control, he deemed the goal of restoring its internationally recognized borders as impractical. In a final note on the conflict’s resolution, Trump stated that Ukraine might need to make difficult concessions for peace.
Trump previously disclosed that he held a “highly productive” phone call with Putin, announcing an agreement to initiate talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the call lasted nearly 90 minutes, with Putin inviting Trump to Moscow for a future meeting. The key details of the dialogue between the U.S. and Russian leaders were not coordinated with Ukraine, raising concerns in both Kyiv and European capitals.
The call is widely viewed by Western analysts as a diplomatic victory for Putin as it signals his return to global politics after a period of isolation. This outlook might leave Brussels and Kyiv feeling sidelined, while many analysts have expressed concern that the European Union and Ukraine could be excluded from the decision-making process.
Sources cited by the Financial Times suggest that Trump and Putin might aim for a ceasefire in Ukraine by either Easter, April 20, when both Orthodox and Catholic Christians will celebrate the holiday, or by May 9. The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin would welcome Trump in Moscow that day for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared on February 12 that Ukraine’s hopes for NATO membership and restoration of its pre-2014 borders are unrealistic for a peaceful resolution to the war. Speaking at the Ramstein meeting in Brussels, Hegseth stressed that President Trump seeks to end the conflict diplomatically, based on a pragmatic assessment of the battlefield. Hegseth warned that pursuing the goal of a return to pre-2014 borders would only prolong the war and suffering. Instead, he proposed a peace agreement based on solid security guarantees backed by capable European and non-European forces without invoking NATO’s Article 5, which obliges all member states to defend a member under attack. Additionally, he ruled out the deployment of U.S. troops in Ukraine as part of any security measures.
Kyiv region. A Russian strike on February 12 in Ukraine’s capital killed one civilian and wounded four others, including a child.
Donetsk region. A 46-year-old man died and five residents were wounded in a Russian glide bomb strike on the city of Kramatorsk on February 13.
Sumy region. On February 11, Russian forces launched 97 shelling attacks along this region’s border, killing two civilians and wounding two others.
Kherson region. Sifting through the debris of a collapsed building, rescue teams recovered the body of a woman killed in an artillery strike in the regional capital on February 12.
In a controversial move, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on the country’s ex-president, Petro Poroshenko, on February 12. The sanctions include indefinite asset freezes, trade bans, suspension of economic and financial obligations, restrictions on capital withdrawals from the country and the revocation of state honors.
The action follows ongoing legal troubles for the former president of Ukraine, including accusations of treason linked to his alleged involvement in a scheme to disrupt coal supplies from South Africa and favor imports from Russian-occupied territories in the country’s east. Sanctioned along with several of Ukraine’s oligarchs, Poroshenko faces more than 20 criminal investigations, including charges related to corruption and ties to Moscow.
Aside from the coal-related accusations, some experts suggest that the sanctions could be tied to Ukraine’s upcoming elections. The decision, made amid discussions of a ceasefire and potential stalemate, might be an effort to neutralize one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s most influential opponents, who remains a vocal critic of the government.
Poroshenko, a current member of the parliament, has claimed that the decision was “unconstitutional” and “politically motivated.” The European People’s Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament, has expressed concerns over the sanctions, raising questions about their timing and the intentions behind them.
Reconstruction of Ukraine will require 230 billion for rebuilding war-torn infrastructure and damaged buildings, with an expected $130 billion funding shortfall. If a durable peace accord emerges and sufficient financial support materializes, Ukraine’s energy, manufacturing and construction sectors could flourish, easing economic pressures on the European Union over time. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s vast reserves of critical resources such as uranium and lithium have drawn interest from President Trump and others, potentially affording the nation leverage to negotiate a more favorable settlement of the war.
Russia has escalated the use of enhanced Iranian-designed Shahed drones, now armed with 200-pound warheads, nearly doubling their explosive capacity. Although their operational range has been curtailed to 400 miles, these drones have undergone continuous modifications to evade Ukrainian air defenses and amplify their destructive potential. Following trial runs in 2023, Russia has ramped up drone production, with plans to manufacture up to 10,000 Shaheds by year’s end, incorporating various payloads, including thermobaric warheads. The frequency of Moscow’s drone offensives has recently intensified, with more than 2,275 Shaheds launched from January to mid-June, 2024, followed by a surge to 4,300 in October. Nearly 4,000 more drones have been deployed so far in 2025. Of these, 59% have been shot down and 37% neutralized through electronic warfare systems.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks.