{"id":200674,"date":"2026-02-17T03:04:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T03:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-warns-of-fresh-russian-attacks-ahead-of-trilateral-peace-talks-in-geneva-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T03:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T03:04:04","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-warns-of-fresh-russian-attacks-ahead-of-trilateral-peace-talks-in-geneva-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-warns-of-fresh-russian-attacks-ahead-of-trilateral-peace-talks-in-geneva-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky warns of fresh Russian attacks ahead of trilateral peace talks in Geneva – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Another round of US-brokered peace talks will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva
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The Kremlin has rejected accusations from Europe that the Russian state had killed Alexei Navalny two years ago using toxin from poison dart frogs.
Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, died in February 2024 in a remote Arctic prison aged 47.
On Saturday, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said that analyses of samples from Navalny’s body had “conclusively” confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the claims were “not based on anything”.
It comes as Ukraine launched a huge overnight air attack on Russia, with Russian air defences forced to down 345 drones since Sunday morning.
The governor of Russia\u2019s Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said it suffered the \u201cmost powerful and massive attack\u201d experienced by any Russian region during the war.
Bogomaz said the attack damaged energy infrastructure facilities in the region.
In its morning briefing, Peskov also discussed up fresh talks in Geneva aimed at ending the war <\/a>which are scheduled for this week.
He said the talks will cover the \u201cmain issues\u201d preventing a peace deal, including territory.
Firefighters work at the site of a railway infrastructure facility hit during overnight Russian drone strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Odesa, Ukraine on 15 February, 2026.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with two US senators ahead of ongoing trilateral peace talks. He thanked Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse after the pair met with Ukrainian children that had been returned from Russia.
\u201cDuring a meeting with Senators Richard Blumenthal @SenBlumenthal<\/a> and Sheldon Whitehouse @SenWhitehouse<\/a>, I thanked the United States for its strong bipartisan support and work for peace.
\u201cBefore our meeting, the senators met with children whom Ukraine managed to return from Russia. Thank you, this is truly important.
\u201cWe see no better tools to influence Moscow than pressure. There is an important sanctioning act in the Senate right now, and we expect it to work.\u201d
He added: \u201cI also informed them about the constant Russian strikes on our people and, in particular, on American businesses as well. I
\u201ct is absolutely fair that Russian money should be used to defend against this terror, and we discussed the prospects of utilizing immobilized Russian assets to purchase missiles for the Patriot systems. I thank the President, Congress, and the people of the United States for their support.\u201d
he late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin<\/a> during his detention in a harsh Arctic penal colony two years ago, the UK and its European allies have concluded.
Analysis of samples conclusively confirmed the presence of Epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America<\/a> and not naturally found in Russia, according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said all the available evidence pointed to Moscow, which insists it had no role in the opposition leader\u2019s sudden demise in February 2024.
Ukraine\u2019s civilian casualties<\/a> increased by 26 per cent during 2025, according to a monitoring group, as Vladimir Putin <\/a>ramped up his bombing campaign while peace talks hit endless stumbling blocks.
Figures from NGO Action on Armed Violence<\/a> (AOAV) state there were 14,775 Ukrainian casualties last year, up from 11,765 in 2024. The 2025 figures include 2,250 deaths \u2013 up 11 per cent from the previous year\u2019s 2,027 \u2013 and 12,525 injuries, up 28 per cent.
The average number of casualties-per-incident also rose significantly to 4.8, a 33 per cent jump from 2024, with researchers suggesting Russian attacks<\/a> are being designed to cause maximum civilian harm.
At the same time, during his first year back in office, US president Donald Trump<\/a> said he wanted to end the war by bringing the warring sides together.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency accused an ex-energy minister on Monday of laundering millions of dollars of kickbacks in a corruption case that has shaken the wartime government, a day after he was detained trying to leave the country.
Herman Halushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021-2025 and then briefly as justice minister until he resigned over the scandal last year, became one of the most senior officials detained in the \u2018Midas\u2019 case, over an alleged $100m (\u00a373.5m) kickback scheme at the state nuclear company.
The case has ensnared senior officials and members of Ukraine’s business elite \u2013 including a former close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his pre-political media career \u2013 and caused concern among Kyiv’s Western allies.
Sir Keir Starmer is weighing a increase in defence spending, the BBC reported<\/a> today, as a major security conference concluded in Munich.
The prime minister\u2019s aides told the broadcaster that he is considering bringing forward spending targets, though no decision has yet been taken and it remained unclear when a boost could come.
The PM has already promised to bring expenditure to 2.5 per cent of GDP by April 2027, followed by an \u201cambition\u201d to increase it to 3 per cent in the next parliament.
At the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, he signalled that more spending would be needed to meet emerging challenges.
\u201cTo meet the wider threat, it\u2019s clear that we are going to have to spend more, faster,\u201d he told leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Europe needs greater unity as he approaches the four-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion.
\u201cI thank the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and his team for supporting our people in times of difficult trials, and especially for the efforts to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression by Russia against Ukraine,\u201d he wrote in a post on X\/Twitter on Monday.
\u201cMany important issues were resolved over the past year, and there are plans for this year. I hope we can move very quickly \u2013 even faster than last year.
\u201cThere must be greater unity within Europe in efforts to hold Russia accountable. During the meeting, we discussed introducing a compensation mechanism. Accountability for crimes is one of the factors of a dignified end to the war.\u201d
The European Union is at a turning point in which countries should not hide behind national interests, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said in Brussels.
He added that Germany is ready to make compromises, speaking ahead of the meeting of EU finance ministers.
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