Donald Trump lectures Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, Washington D.C., February 28, 2025 (CNN)

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EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Chaos — Trump, Musk, and Ukraine-Russia

Sunday’s Coverage: Trump Administration Vetoes G7 Proposal v. Russia’s “Shadow Fleet”

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 2006 GMT:

“Two senior Ukrainian officials” have confirmed that Kyiv’s delegation, meeting US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, will propose a partial ceasefire and the release of prisoners.

The ceasefire will cover operations in the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes.

The officials said the delegation is also ready to sign an agreement on provision of rare earth minerals to the US.

UPDATE 1924 GMT:

The commander-in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, says forces are not in danger of encirclement in the Kursk region in western Russian, despite advances by Russian and North Korean troops.

The Russians have taken control of several villages, and were reportedly close to surroudning thousands of Ukrainians.

Syrskyi said that he was visiting the forces fighting in Kursk:

Despite the involvement of a significant number of Russian troops in the offensive, reinforced by North Korean infantry, the enemy is suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment.

UPDATE 0948 GMT:

Russia’s arms exports in 2024 have fallen by 47% amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

SIPRI’s analysts assess:

The decline from 2022 is likely due to Russia’s decision to prioritize the production of major weapons for its own armed forces rather than for export, the effects of multilateral trade sanctions imposed on Russia, and increased pressure from the United States and its allies on states not to buy Russian weapons.

Russia’s share of the global arms market has decreased to 7.8%, with 33 purchasers compared to 47 in 2018.

Asia and Oceania account for 74% of Russian exports. India is the largest buyer with 38%, followed by China (17%) and Kazakhstan (11%).

Despite the sharp drop in sales, Russia remains one of the world’s top three arms exporters, behind the U.S. — far ahead with 43% — and France with 9.6%.

UPDATE 0929 GMT:

At least six civilians have been killed and 22 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses intercepted 130 of 176 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 42 drones were lost to electronic counter-measures.

Three civilians were killed in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. A woman and two men were killed in the neighboring Kharkiv region by a drone strike.

Other casualties were reported in the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

UPDATE 0924 GMT:

Ukraine and German manufacturer Diehl Defense have agreed to triple the supply of IRIS-T air defense systems and missiles.

The memorandum of agreement comes amid escalating Russian aerial assaults and the Trump Administration’s cutoff of aid including repair and maintenance of Patriot air defense systems.

The IRIS-T is a surface-to-air missile system capable of countering aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.

UPDATE 0757 GMT:

Nate Vance, the cousin of US Vice President J.D. Vance, says he is “disappointed” in his relative’s stance on Ukraine.

Nate Vance, a former Marine, defended Ukraine from 2022 to January 2025 as a member of the Da Vinci Wolves First Motorized Battalion, a volunteer unit.

“Being your family doesn’t mean I’m going to accept you killing my comrades,” he said in an interview published on Sunday.

He spoke of his cousin’s abuse of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in a meeting in the White House on Feburary 28.

When he criticized aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he needed to appeal to his electorate, that it was part of the political game.

But what they did to Zelensky was an ambush of absolute dishonesty.

He continued, “I thought I was going to choke….His own cousin was on the front lines. I could have told him the truth, without pretense, without personal interest. He never tried to find out more.”

Nate Vance said he tried to get in touch with his cousin several times with no success: “I left messages at his office. I never heard from him.”

“We are the useful idiots of Vladimir Putin,” he concludes.

UPDATE 0746 GMT:

Ukrainian drones have attacked one of Russia’s 10 largest oil refineries.

The drones struck the Novokuybyshevsk refinery in the Samara region overnight. The plant is around 900 km (560 miles) from the frontline in Ukraine.

Residents reported loud explosions and a fire at the facility of State-run Rosneft, Russia’s third-largest company.

Russia’s RBC reported a fire at a warehouse in Novokuybyshevsk that covered an area of 1,500 square meters, without mentioning a drone attack.

The refinery’s capacity is 8.8 million metric tons of oil per year. Andrii Kovalenko of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said it produces gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil which are “strategically important for the Russian military as it ensures a stable fuel supply for military operations”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Meeting Trump Administration officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a Ukraine delegation will propose a partial ceasefire over Russia’s invasion, in return for a resumption of Administration support of long-range drone and missile strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea.

The deal would start with a cessation of aerial attacks, operations at sea, and strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. It would continue with prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian authorities.

A Ukrainian official said Kyiv’s short-term priority is repairing its ties with the US. Two European officials said progress over a ceasefire would be matched by the Administration lifting its cutoff of military aid and intelligence sharing.

The Administration’s delegation, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has given no specifics about its objectives. A spokesperson said the brief is to “advance the President’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war”.

But further doubts were spurred by officials who said Donald Trump has told aides that he will not restart aid and intelligence to Ukraine, even if Kyiv signs a minerals deal.

The officials said Trump wants to see a change in Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “attitude toward peace talks”, including a willingness to make concessions such as giving up territory to Russia. Trump also wants some movement toward elections in Ukraine and possibly towards Zelensky stepping down as President.

Trump said on Sunday that he thought Ukraine would sign a minerals agreement with the US: “I want them to want peace.”

He cryptically said that the Administration has “just about” lifted the intelligence cutoff.

Zelensky will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday.

Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak will lead Ukraine’s negotiators. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa are also participating.