Ukraine-Russia struggle newest: Send UK troops to Kyiv warzone now, Boris Johnson urges | EUROtoday

Ukraine’s overseas ministry has issued an announcement hitting out towards “blackmail” by Hungary and Slovakia over oil passing by way of a Russian pipeline.

Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since 27 January after Ukrainian officers mentioned a Russian drone assault broken the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude throughout Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.

Hungary threatened to dam a €90bn mortgage till the movement of Russian oil by way of the Druzhba pipeline resumed, Hungary’s overseas minister mentioned.

It was adopted by threats by Slovakia to chop electrical energy to Ukraine until oil continued to movement by way of the passage.

Ukraine condemned the “ultimatums” and “blackmail” over the feedback in a response on Saturday.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and awarded her with the Order of Princess Olga, III class, for her help for Ukraine on Saturday.

“We discussed diplomatic efforts to achieve a dignified peace, energy support, and the importance of Ukraine’s recovery,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“I awarded Anne Hidalgo the Order of Princess Olga, III class, and I am grateful to Madam Mayor for her comprehensive support of Ukrainians – including our athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games – as well as for advancing projects for Ukraine’s recovery on the global stage.”

Hidalgo has visited Ukraine throughout wartime and hosted Zelensky throughout talks in France.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on the Munich Security Conference final week the place the pair mentioned the character of Ukraine’s army technique towards Russia, based on an article Mr Sunak wrote in the Times.

Mr Sunak mentioned he was left with the conviction that the UK and Europe should catch as much as Ukraine in modernising its army weaponry.

“Drones have changed the nature of war,” he wrote.

“At the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky told me that 80 per cent of the casualties Ukraine is inflicting on the Russians are from unmanned vehicles.”

He added: “A recent Nato exercise, Hedgehog 2025, where Nato forces faced off against Ukrainian drone operators, revealed just how ill-prepared western forces are for this new way of war.”

Mr Sunak concluded: “The world has changed. Defence has changed. Warfare has changed. We must adapt, and fast.”

A report by the Institute for the Study of War has concluded that Russia is continuous a marketing campaign of “cognitive warfare” to persuade Western international locations that Ukraine’s loss on the battlefield is inevitable.

“Russia is seizing small, rural settlements that lie along the Russia-Ukraine international border and presenting these seizures as alleged evidence of the prowess of the Russian military to further the false narrative that Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable,” it wrote.

It supplied an instance, explaining: “Russian Chief of the General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy claimed on February 20 that Russian forces have seized approximately 900 square kilometers and 42 settlements since the beginning of 2026.

“ISW has only collected evidence to assess that Russian forces have only seized 19 settlements and 572 square kilometers of total territory since the beginning of 2026 — a difference of 23 settlements and 328 square kilometers.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky supplied an replace on discussions with Nato’s secretary basic Mark Rutte on Saturday.

He shared that trilateral negotiations with the US and Russia had been mentioned in addition to the continuing vitality state of affairs in Ukraine.

“We touched base on all key aspects of our diplomatic work, and I’m glad that, in many areas, our views align,” he wrote in a publish on X.

“I shared updates on preparations for the next trilateral format with the United States and Russia, as well as what we know about possible shifts in the parties’ positions.

“We also discussed the energy situation and the need to continue work under the PURL initiative. I am grateful to every European country that invests in our defence through PURL. Thank you, Mark, for your support!”

Ukraine’s domestically produced Flamingo missiles hit a Russian plant manufacturing ballistic missiles in Russia’s distant southern area of Udmurtia in a single day, the Ukrainian General Staff mentioned Saturday.

It mentioned in an announcement that the plant was situated in Votkinsk, about 1400 km (800 miles) from Ukraine, and produced intercontinental ballistic missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian army additionally mentioned that it hit a fuel processing plant in Russia’s Samara area.