Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,097

Here is the situation on Tuesday, February 25:

Fighting

Politics and diplomacy

Tatyana Moskalkova, the country’s human rights commissioner, claimed Moscow and Kyiv had reached a resolution to evacuate residents from Kursk, a region that is currently under Russian occupation.
• 67 new sanctions against Russia were announced in a notice posted by the UK government website. The targets include global businesses that supply the Russian military and extending the regime’s 40-ship shipping ban.
• According to an anonymous diplomatic source, Washington and Moscow officials are scheduled to meet again in Saudi Arabia. Last week, senior US and Russian officials discussed ending the conflict in Riyadh.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced that Russia’s arbitrary arrest and deportation of 19 Ukrainian journalists hadprompted the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hear a new complaint against Russia.

A 16th package of sanctions against Russia was approved by the European Union’s foreign ministers. The targets include a ban on third-country airlines that continue to operate in Russia and a first-ever cryptocurrency exchange.
• At the UN, Washington’s change of heart about the war was highlighted by the two times the United States voted against Russia. The two nations pushed a UN Security Council resolution that was written by the US and called for an end to the conflict while refraining from criticizing Russia, but the UN General Assembly passed one that was written by the two countries.

In exchange for US aid, US President Donald Trump promised to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s counterpart in Ukraine as soon as this week to sign the rare earth deal. Russia’s concern over the US-Ukraine agreement on rare earth elements was expressed by Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
• Russia’s participation in peace talks is not opposed, according to President Vladimir Putin. He noted, however, that Moscow had previously withdrawn from discussions with Russia.