The Ukrainian delegation at talks with Russia and the US to end Moscow’s invasion, Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2026

Tuesday’s Coverage: Kyiv Regains Territory in South After Russia’s Troops Lose Starlink

UPDATE 1622 GMT:

European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen has asked Ukraine for a timeline to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia, even though the Commission has committed to ban the imports by 2027.

“We are in contact with Ukraine on the timeline for reparation of the Druzhba oil pipeline and how quickly this might be up and running,” spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told journalists in Brussels. She said there are “no short-term risks to security of supply”, as Hungary and Slovakia each hold 90 days of strategic reserves.

The pipeline was set afire by a Russian drone strike near the city of Brody in western Ukraine on January 27. Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted Hungary, led by the pro-Kremlin Prime Minister Viktor Orban “made no protest” to Moscow and “could not even pronounce the word ‘Russia’”.

Preparing for the ban, European Union member states must submit oil diversification plans by March 1.

Slovakia has threatened to cut emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine if it does not reopen the pipeline.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, also an ally of Vladimir Putin, declared a state of emergency and ordered the release of 250,000 tonnes of oil from reserves.

Fico claimed repair work has finished and Ukraine is blocking oil supplies to “blackmail” Hungary.

UPDATE 1608 GMT:

Four South African men, lured into fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, returned to Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Police were waiting at OR Tambo International Airport.

The South African government said last November that it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined Russian mercenary forces, following distress calls by the men for help to return home.

President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to Vladimir Putin by telephone earlier this month.. After the call, Ramaphosa’s office said the leaders “pledged their support to the process of returning South Africans fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine“.

UPDATE 1602 GMT:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said of the third set of Ukraine-Russia-US talks, “We can see that some groundwork has been done, but for now the positions differ, because the negotiations were not easy.”

He cited the unresolved “sensitive” issues of Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest with six dormant reactors.

UPDATE 1547 GMT:

The second and final day of Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Geneva ended after only two hours, following discussion of almost six hours on Tuesday.

Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security Council and chief negotiator, told reporters that the talks were “intensive and substantive” with a number of issues clarified.

“There is progress but no details can be disclosed at this stage,” he said.

The Kremlin’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the talks were “difficult, but businesslike”. He declared the next meeting will take place in the near future.

Umerov said at the outset of today’s meeting, “Consultations are taking place in focus groups within the political and military blocs. We are working to clarify the parameters and mechanics of the solutions discussed yesterday.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted:

We consider Europe’s participation in the process indispensable for the successful implementation of entirely feasible agreements – Ukraine has no doubt that partners are capable of ensuring the constructiveness of the negotiation process and, therefore, a dignified result.

Yesterday’s meetings were indeed difficult, and we can state that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage. I thank the American side for its attention to detail and patience in conversations with the current representatives of Russia.

UPDATE 0952 GMT:

Russian conscripts say they have been threatened by commanding officers with deployment to the frontline in Ukraine if they do not steal vital materials such as copper cable. Then, when the thefts are discovered, they have been charged and told: go to the frontline or go to prison.

The independent Russian outlet Meduza summarizes the first case in which a sentence was handed down. On January 30, seven personnel including four conscripts were condemned for stealing from a classified Defense Ministry facility in the Leningrad region.

One defendant, Vitaly Rusakov, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The others will receive their terms in closed-door hearings before the end of February. All were orders to pay 10.5 million rubles ($137,500) to the Defense Ministry.

Another independent outlet, Bumaga, interviewed two of the conscripts and their relatives. Journalists contacted another conscript by post.

UPDATE 0939 GMT:

Cracking down on Telegram, Russian authorities have accused it of leaking correspondence to foreign intelligence agencies.

Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev told the Duma, the lower house of parliament:

Telegram was considered a relatively anonymous service, used by our military.

Now there are numerous facts, confirmed by our agencies, indicating that foreign intelligence agencies have access to Telegram correspondence.

Shadayev claimed the correspondence is being used against the Russian army in Ukraine.

He confirmed authorities have slowed file transfers, but said messaging is not restricted: “Our military can continue communicating there, but we hope that over time they will switch to another messenger.

The regulator Roskomnadzor began restricting Telegram’s operations in Russia on February 9. It said the limits would be in place until the app hosts servers in the country and “complies with Russian law”.

UPDATE 0634 GMT:

Ukrainian drones struck the Taman oil terminal in the Krasnodar region in southwest Russia overnight.

The UAVs also hit the Metafrax Chemicals plant in the Perm region, around 1,600 km (994 miles) from the border, said the Ukrainian State security service SBU.

Ukraine’s drones have hit nine oil refineries, among 240 facilities struck in Russia and Russian-occupied territory, since the start of 2026.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukrainian officials have said that “practical issues” were discussed in more than five hours of talks on Tuesday with Russia and the US over Moscow’s invasion.

However, they gave no details, and President Volodymyr Zelensky chided Donald Trump over “undue pressure” on Kyiv to give way to the Kremlin’s demands for territory and permanent Ukrainian weakness.

Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, said of the first day of the discussions in Geneva, “Discussions focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions. We would like to thank our American partners for constructive cooperation.”

A Russian official said only that the discussions were “very tense”.

Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, declared “meaningful progress”: “Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal.”

But Zelensky said it was “not fair” that Trump kept calling for Ukrainian concessions with no easing of the Kremlin’s ultimata for surrender: “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision.”

In the interview with Axios, Zelensky emphasized that any proposal requiring Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk region, in the east of the country, will be rejected by Ukrainians if put to a referendum.

Trump snapped on Monday, “Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.”

Hours later, Russia fired 29 missiles and 396 drones, trying to breaking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. A 68-year-old woman was killed and 25 other civilians injured by the attacks.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky focused on the strikes as he awaited a report on the talks from his negotiators, “This very clearly shows what Russia wants and what it is truly intent on….The team absolutely must raise the issue of these strikes – first of all with the American side.”

The only question is for the Russians: what do they want? And also, whether there will be consequences for Russia for the fact that “shaheds” [attack drone], missiles, and fantasy chatter about history matter more to them than real diplomacy and lasting peace.