1,085 days have passed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine without a clear solution in sight. Donald Trump, the US president, insists almost daily on further complicating things despite starting his term with the intention of facilitating an agreement between Putin and Zelensky.
Trump has suggested that Ukraine "could be Russian someday" and insisted that he wants his country to have access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for US aid to Kiev against Russia.
"I want our money to be safe because we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars. They could reach an agreement, they may not. They could be Russian one day, they may not," said Trump in an interview with Fox News.
Regarding the war, Russia has attacked Ukrainian gas infrastructure during the night, as denounced on Tuesday on social media by the Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Galushchenko.
"The enemy launched an attack on the gas infrastructure during the night. This morning, the energy system is still under attack," wrote Galushchenko, who also announced emergency power cuts to mitigate the consequences of potential impacts on the generation and transmission system.
Ukraine declared an anti-aircraft alert across the country on Tuesday morning due to the launch of drones and ballistic missiles by Russia.
Additionally, Russia and Ukraine are negotiating the opening of a humanitarian corridor in the border region of Kursk, partially occupied by the Ukrainian army since August 2024, as announced today by Tatiana Moskalkova, the Russian Ombudsperson.
Ukraine calls for a "clear path" to NATO membership
The President of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, stated on Tuesday that the best security guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership. Although he acknowledged that immediate accession is not being discussed, he called for "a clear path towards this goal."
Stefanchuk made these remarks to journalists after calling for more military support for the Ukrainian Army in the European Parliament to defend against Russian aggression and for more sanctions against Moscow just days before the third anniversary of the war.
President of the Ukrainian Parliament calls for more weapons and sanctions against Russia in the European Parliament
The President of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, called on Tuesday in the European Parliament for more military support for the Ukrainian Army to defend against Russian aggression and for more sanctions against Moscow just days before the third anniversary of the war.
"Evil will continue to advance if we do not act against it," said the head of the Parliament to the MEPs, warning that "the only way to curb Russia's thirst is to achieve a just and lasting peace" and "oppose a force that allows fighting on Ukrainian territory but also with sanctions."
Stefanchuk specifically demanded more anti-aircraft defense systems, aircraft, long-range artillery, electronic systems, increased investment in the Ukrainian military industry, as well as new sanctions that are "effective" and "cannot be circumvented," using frozen Russian assets and "bringing to justice the war crimes" committed by Moscow.
Russia says its forces have taken control of Yasenove
The Russian army reported on Tuesday that its forces have taken control of the settlement of Yasenove in eastern Ukraine.
"Decisive actions by the Central Military Group allowed the recovery of the residential locality of Yasenove in the Donetsk People's Republic," stated the Russian military command in its daily war report.
According to Defense, Russian forces caused 505 casualties to nine Ukrainian brigades near seven localities in Donetsk.
North Korea supplied Russia with 200 pieces of long-range artillery
North Korea supplied Russia with 200 pieces of long-range artillery, stated a senior official from the South Korean Ministry of Defense to AFP on Tuesday. Pyongyang provided Moscow with "around 11,000 soldiers, missiles, 200 pieces of long-range artillery, and a significant amount of ammunition," the South Korean official indicated.
Additionally, North Korea could "further supply more soldiers, weapons, and ammunition in the future," according to the official, who requested anonymity.
Seoul, Kiev, and Washington have stated that North Korea sent over 10,000 soldiers last year to Russia to support the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine. In turn, Ukraine revealed that it had captured or killed numerous North Korean soldiers in Kursk, a Russian region taken by Kiev.
Ukraine and Russia exchange long-range attacks while exploring peace avenues
Russian forces attacked Ukrainian gas and energy infrastructure in a "massive" missile and drone attack overnight, officials said on Tuesday, as the nearly three-year war continues amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end it.
The Ukrainian state energy company, Ukrenergo, reported emergency power outages due to the Russian attack. Moscow's forces have repeatedly targeted the Ukrainian power grid during the war.
Meanwhile, as part of their campaign with long-range drones against targets inside Russian territory, Ukraine hit a refinery in the Saratov region, about 500 kilometers from the border, according to the Army's General Staff. The facility produces gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel for the Russian military, they explained.
Zelenski: A delegation from the Trump administration will visit Kiev this week
A high-level delegation from the administration of US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Ukraine this week, as announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, who also confirmed a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference.
"There will be a visit from President Trump's team here in Ukraine this week, even before the Munich Security Conference," Zelenski said on Monday night in Kiev during a joint press conference with the President of the European Investment Bank, Nadia Calviño, as reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
Zelenski added that at the conference starting on Friday in the German city, he will meet, among other leaders, with US Vice President JD Vance, who is already in Europe and is also expected to attend the meeting.
The ECHR condemns Russia for "silencing" criticism of the war in Ukraine
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Russia on Tuesday for the legal provisions adopted since the start of the invasion of Ukraine aimed at "silencing" criticism related to the war.
The European high court pointed out the "multiple violations" by Moscow of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and "the existence of a systemic and widespread scheme of restrictions on reporting on the war in Ukraine."
This reveals "a coordinated effort" to "silence criticism" about the invasion launched by Russia in February 2022, according to the ruling of the pan-European court based in Strasbourg, northeastern France.
The Kremlin says much of Ukraine "wants to be Russian" following Trump's comment
The Kremlin stated on Tuesday that "a significant part" of Ukraine "wants to be Russian," hours after US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine could be Russian "someday."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Tuesday that the situation in Ukraine "largely corresponds to the words of President Trump."
"The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to be Russian, and that it already is Russian, is a reality," Peskov declared.
Russian military court sentences five Ukrainian soldiers to up to six years in prison
A Russian military court sentenced five Ukrainian soldiers, three of them combat prisoners, to up to six years in prison for "belonging to a terrorist group." The verdict was issued by the Southern Military District Court in the city of Rostov-on-Don, as reported by the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Three of the convicts were captured in early March 2022 during combat in the town of Volnovaha, in the southern Donetsk region annexed by Russia in September of that same year.
According to the accusation, these three soldiers were part of the Donbass-Ukraine assault battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fired at the civilian population. In the same trial, two other members of that battalion who fought in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions before Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022 were also sentenced.