Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
US joins Russia, North Korea and Belarus at UN in refusing to blame Putin for illegally invading Ukraine
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
French president Emmanuel Macron has said that peace between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed in the coming weeks, after the United States sided with Russia in the latest UN Security Council vote on the third anniversary of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine that takes a neutral position on the conflict.
Speaking to Fox News as he visited Washington, Macron said that any peace deal must “not be a surrender of Ukraine” as he suggested, like Trump, that peace could be achieved “within weeks.”
He said: “We want peace. And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine.
“I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer. And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the US to reengage with Russia.”
The latest UN resolution reflects US president Donald Trump‘s upending of US policy on Ukraine and his more conciliatory stance towards Russia after Trump claimed Russian president Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil as part of a peace agreement with Kyiv.
Russian authorities have detained a 17-year-old boy suspected of gathering intelligence to help Ukraine target Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery with drones, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
RIA reported that law enforcement officers in the region of Bashkortostan had detained the boy who was being investigated under laws related to “terrorism and treason” which carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
RIA said the boy, whom it did not name, was accused of gathering information and painting graffiti for Ukrainian intelligence in return for money since the autumn of 2024. It said he had confessed to his crime under questioning.
It quoted him as saying that he went to Ryazan to gather information on the refinery at the Ukrainians’ behest in early January.
The Ryazan refinery, which is located around 240km (150 miles) south of Moscow, suspended operations after an attack by Ukrainian drones on Monday, three industry sources told Reuters.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow’s financing for the war.
The US is pushing for a deal that would grant it 50 per cent of Ukraine’s revenues from critical minerals, oil, gas, and stakes in key infrastructure, such as ports, through a joint investment fund.
Despite Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky rejecting an earlier version, negotiations have intensified, with Ukraine’s parliament speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, saying that Kyiv aimed to conclude the deal by 24 February, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The details of the draft offer reportedly guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty which had been an issue with earlier Trump proposals. These had said nothing about the future security for Ukraine but demanded it raise $500bn in payback for money spent by the US in defence of the country.
Tom Watling and Maroosha Muzaffar report.
French president Emmanuel Macron said it was “feasible” to talk about the start of negotiations for a sustainable peace within weeks.
In an interview with Fox News following their meeting, he said: “We want peace. And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine.
“I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer. And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the US to reengage with Russia.”
The United States joined Russia, North Korea and Belarus at the UN in refusing to blame Vladimir Putin for illegally invading Ukraine.
Washington, alongside the three dictatorships, rejected a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Russian forces to withdraw from the war-torn country.
The motion, which was drafted by Ukraine and other European countries, passed with 93 votes in favour on Monday. Eighteen countries voted against it and 64 countries, including China, abstained.
More here.
China’s president Xi Jinping affirmed his “no limits” partnership in a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday, China’s state media reported.
The leaders held the talks as US president Donald Trump has pushed for a quick deal to end the Ukraine war, raising the prospect that Washington could draw a wedge between Mr Xi and Mr Putin to focus on competing with the world’s second-largest economy.
The call appeared aimed at dispelling any such prospects – the two leaders underscored the durability and the “long-term” nature of their alliance, with its own internal dynamics that would not be impacted by any “third party”.
“China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value, and are not aimed at, nor are they influenced by, any third party,” Mr Xi said, according to the official readout.
“The development strategies and foreign policies of China and Russia are long-term,” said Mr Xi, adding that the two countries “are good neighbours that cannot be moved apart”.
Donald Trump has suggested it will be Europe that “make[s] sure nothing happens” in Ukraine when it comes to security, as he confirmed Vladimir Putin would be happy to see peacekeeping forces on the ground as part of a deal to end the war.
Speaking alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, Trump said: “Europe is going to make sure nothing happens.”
Earlier on, Mr Trump had said Mr Putin “will accept” peacekeepers, after Sir Keir Starmer previously said he would be willing to put British troops on the ground as part of security guarantees that could end the war.
Trump said of the Russian president’s reaction to peacekeepers in Ukraine: “Yeah, he will accept it.
“I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for world war.”
Britain’s UN ambassador Barbara Woodward warned the UN Security Council that Moscow will act with impunity if Russia is allowed to win.
Her statement comes after the UN voted in favour of a Ukrainian resolution calling out Russian aggression while the US abstained on its competing resolution after European nations, led by France, amended it to make clear Russia was the aggressor.
A Security Council vote on the original US draft saw Britain, France, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia abstain.
“If Russia is allowed to win, we will live in a world where might is right, where borders can be redrawn by force, where aggressors think they can act with impunity,” Ms Woodward said.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in