The Ukraine war is currently entangled in diplomacy and politics. While Russia and United States have met in Saudi Arabia, without Kiev or the Europeans, European leaders are debating increasing defense spending. In Riyadh, Washington, and Moscow, they decided to appoint teams to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
On the front lines, fighting continues, especially in eastern Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, and in Kursk, where North Korean soldiers provided by Kim Jong-Un are fighting. As a curiosity, one of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine said in an interview that his officers made him believe he was fighting against South Korean soldiers in Ukraine.
Kiev stated in early February that around 5,000 North Koreans have died or been injured in three months of fighting in Kursk, out of the 11,000 or 12,000 deployed there. South Korean intelligence, on the other hand, estimated in mid-January in a parliamentary commission that at least around 300 North Korean soldiers have died in Kursk and about 2,700 have been injured.
Albares accuses PP of not offering "a single proposal for peace in Ukraine"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, accused the Popular Party on Wednesday of not offering "a single proposal for peace in Ukraine" and "sabotaging" Spain's foreign policy, as reported by Servimedia.
This was stated by José Manuel Albares during the Government's control session in Congress, in response to the PP deputy Belén Hoyo, who asked him if defending democracy is a priority of the Government's foreign policy.
Hoyo criticized that, in her opinion, "a jihadist terrorist spends more time in this parliament than the Prime Minister usually does in a week," referring to the presence of one of those convicted for the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils in an investigation committee.
Abascal tells PP and PSOE that they are the ones who "have betrayed Ukraine"
The President of Vox, Santiago Abascal, said on Wednesday to the Popular Party and the PSOE that they are the ones who "have betrayed Ukraine" and who "laughed" when his party told them that "their energy policies were favoring Russia," but "now they cry, literally," as reported by Servimedia.
This was indicated by Abascal on his social media, where he pointed out that he sees "a lot of warrior ardor in Génova 13 and in La Moncloa" regarding Europe's role in resolving Russia's aggression against Ukraine and stated that "hopefully they had it to defend our borders, our sovereignty, and our national unity."
In this sense, he commented that if Europe wants to be defended, the "first" thing to do is to "replace the popular and socialist politicians who have brought us here" because they are "the ones who destroy our industry, our countryside, and our energy capacity with the criminal green pact."
Trump's envoy says in Kiev that he understands Ukraine needs "security guarantees"
President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on Wednesday that he understands the country's need for "security guarantees" during his first visit to Kiev, a day after Ukraine denounced the Russian-American talks held in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Afp.
"We understand the need for security guarantees. We are very clear that it is important for the sovereignty of this nation," he said, according to images broadcast by the Ukrainian channel Suspilne.
Kellogg arrived in Kiev on Wednesday on his first visit since being appointed to the position, just hours after President Trump harshly criticized his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky suggests that Ukraine would be a great starting point for the European military force
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has suggested that the deployment of European troops in his country, in the context of a possible peace agreement with Russia, would be a "great starting point" for a unified military force on the continent, as reported by Efe.
"When the war in Ukraine ends, we will need a unified force. It would make a lot of sense for countries to come together in Ukraine, communicate with each other, and defend each other. I believe Ukraine would be a great starting point for a Unified European Force," he said in an interview published by Turkish media on Wednesday.
Trump's envoy for Ukraine arrives in Kiev on his first visit
President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kiev on Wednesday on his first visit to the country, a day after Ukraine denounced the Russian-American talks held in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Afp.
Kellogg arrived in the morning by train from Poland and was welcomed at the station by the US Ambassador Bridget Brink, as reported by the Ukrainian channel Suspilne, which broadcasted images of the moment.
EU agrees on a new package of sanctions against Russia
The European Union agreed on Wednesday on its 16th package of sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukrainian territory, according to diplomatic sources, as reported by Afp.
This package still needs to be ratified by the bloc's Foreign Ministers on Monday, the day marking three years since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
Macron organizes a new crisis meeting on Ukraine after the US-Russia meeting
French President Emmanuel Macron is organizing a new crisis meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday following Monday's meeting, this time via video conference, to analyze the situation after the first public and physical meeting between US and Russian officials, as reported by Efe.
While waiting to know all the participants in this video conference, Macron simply indicated in an interview with the French regional press that it will be held "with several European and non-European States" and that in the coming days he will have spoken with the leaders of all 27 EU countries.
Ukrainian army says Russia launched 167 drones during a nighttime attack
The Ukrainian army said on Wednesday that Russia launched 167 drones and two missiles during nighttime attacks, as reported by Reuters.
The air force shot down 106 drones, and 56 more did not reach their targets, probably due to electronic countermeasures, without specifying what happened to the remaining five drones.
Part of Odesa left without heating and light due to a Russian attack
A large residential area of the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine was left without heating or electricity on Wednesday after a "massive" Russian attack, reported Mayor Guennadii Trujanov, as reported by Afp.
"As a result of a massive enemy attack on a densely populated area of the city, there is no electricity, water, or heating in much of the residential area," Trujanov posted on Telegram.
He stated in another message that 14 schools and over 500 houses were without electricity and that one person was hospitalized with injuries. He did not provide details on the type of attack carried out.
Ukraine attacks an oil refinery in the Russian region of Samara
Ukraine attacked an oil refinery in the city of Syzran, in the Russian region of Samara, said the regional governor on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.
"Emergency services are working on the company's territory. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties," wrote Vyacheslav Fedorishchev on the Telegram messaging app.
He did not specify if the refinery had suffered damage. The Telegram channels Baza and Mash reported that the attack caused a fire.