Hungary and Slovakia have approached the European Commission regarding the possibility of purchasing Russian oil via sea routes. The Hungarian company MOL has already ordered the first batches, which are expected to arrive in early March.
A study has found that the tropical disease chikungunya can be transmitted by mosquitoes across much of Europe. Rising temperatures allow the infection to spread as far north as southern England.
The Slovak government has declared an emergency in the oil sector. This happened due to damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine, which led to the cessation of oil supplies.
The European Commission has confirmed contacts with Ukraine regarding the repair of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline, which is hindering the supply of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. These countries have 90-day reserve stocks, which eliminates short-term risks to supply security.
Another round of trilateral Ukraine-US-f negotiations took place in Geneva, described as intensive and substantive. The next stage is to coordinate decisions for consideration by the presidents, which should be real, not formal.
Odesa and the region are without electricity, heat, and water after a devastating shelling of the energy system. Energy workers are working around the clock to gradually restore power supply; 60.5 thousand families already have electricity.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he expects a detailed report on the results of all meetings in Geneva. The priority is security guarantees for Ukraine, and Ukrainian representatives have clear directives.
The talks in Geneva involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia lasted about two hours. The head of the Russian delegation called them "difficult but businesslike," and a new meeting will take place "in the near future."
In Ukraine, passage on state roads is ensured, but weather deterioration is expected. Traffic is restricted on the M-15 Odesa – Reni and H-31 Dnipro – Tsarychanka – Kobeliaky – Reshetylivka highways.
President Zelenskyy held a meeting with Ukrainian negotiators before the second day of talks in Geneva. He noted that Russia is trying to prolong the negotiations and set the task of making them productive.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed concern about the war in Ukraine. He noted that from both sides, there does not seem to be real progress towards peace.
As a result of enemy attacks and bad weather, consumers in four regions of Ukraine have been left without power. In Odesa region, almost 100,000 subscribers are without electricity due to equipment damage and difficult weather conditions.
After 24-year-old "Kolos-2" forward Danylo Kolesnyk found himself at the center of a scandal for assaulting a TCC employee, police detained the now ex-footballer.
The second day of trilateral talks has begun in Geneva. Consultations are taking place in groups by direction within the political and military blocs to clarify the parameters of decisions.
On the M-15 highway (Odesa – Reni), the movement of freight transport, buses, and minibuses is temporarily restricted due to bad weather. Passenger cars move without restrictions, and checkpoints operate as usual.
As a result of the enemy attack on Zaporizhzhia, seven people were injured, including a six-year-old girl with a head injury and a one-and-a-half-year-old child in critical condition. One woman died, and residential buildings were damaged.
Ukraine has imposed sanctions against Lukashenka for his assistance in Russian aggression. Zelenskyy stated that Belarus is helping Russia circumvent sanctions and supplies components for missiles.
The Prosecutor General announced the notification of suspicion to a supplier of substandard ballistic glasses for the military, totaling UAH 154. 8 million. The suspect fled abroad after a similar suspicion was issued to another entrepreneur; both companies are controlled by the same individual.
The U. S. Air Force is changing the iconic light blue and white design of Air Force One to a red, white, and blue palette with a gold stripe. This is the first major change since the Kennedy era, affecting the entire presidential fleet.
Over the past day, 160 combat engagements took place at the front, with 31 attacks occurring in the Huliaipole direction. The enemy launched missile and air strikes, using kamikaze drones and MLRS.
In the US, rescue teams on skis and snowmobiles are searching for 10 skiers who went missing after an avalanche in the mountains of Northern California. Six skiers have been found and are awaiting rescue.
On the night of February 18, Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 126 attack UAVs at Ukraine. Air defense forces shot down or suppressed 100 enemy drones.
A massive outage occurred overnight in the operation of Google, YouTube, and Cloudflare services. YouTube announced the return of all platforms to normal operation after resolving an issue with the recommendation system.
The GUR recorded Starlink disconnections among Russian occupiers along the entire front line. Russians are forced to use low-quality Gazprom terminals, which do not provide stable communication.
Consumer Reports experts have identified the most reliable cars of 2026, evaluating them based on performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. Among the winners are Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Forester, Toyota Grand Highlander, Lexus NX, BMW X5, Ford Maverick, Ford F-150, and Tesla Model Y.
Ukraine, the US, and Russia are starting another round of negotiations. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, thanked the US and Switzerland for their support.
The second round of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Geneva has concluded. Delegations from both sides have left the venue, and US envoys are preparing for talks with Ukraine and Russia.
Delegations from Ukraine, the US, and Russia have arrived in Geneva for trilateral talks. The meeting will take place behind closed doors on February 17-18.
The European Commission has confirmed plans to adopt a new package of sanctions against Russia by February 24. This marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
France allowed the GRINCH tanker to leave its waters after the owning company paid a multi-million euro fine. The vessel was detained on suspicion of sanctions evasion and belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet."
