Ukraine war briefing: Russia setting up long-range drone bases in Belarus, Zelenskyy says | Ukraine

Russia plans to open four Zelenskyy said on Monday that there are control stations for long-range attack UAVs in Belarus, adding: “There will be reactions to this, and they will be felt.” Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned in recent months that Belarus will become more involved in Russia’s war, adding in his comments on X that he had instructed his service chief to inform Kiev’s partners about these plans. Speaking later in the night in a video speech, the president said that Belarusian aid early in the war intensified the damage caused by Russian attacks for a while until Ukraine took action against it. “We have now received information from our intelligence that Russia intends to continue using Belarusian territory and the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory to build ground control stations for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles,” he said. The Belarusian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.

European Union executive demands clarity from Hungary Following reports that the foreign minister passed sensitive information about EU negotiations to Russia. On Saturday, the Washington Post quoted current or former European security officials as saying that Péter Szijjártó regularly called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings to “report directly on what was discussed” and suggest possible courses of action. On Monday, European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said: “[A] Relationships of trust between member states and between member states and the institution are of fundamental importance for the work of the EU. “We are waiting for the Hungarian government to make a statement.” Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is one of the few EU leaders who maintained close ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine. The US media outlet’s report sparked outrage in Brussels, where many officials are furious that Hungary continued to block a €90 billion ($104 billion) loan to Ukraine at a meeting of EU leaders last week. Szijjártó called the report “fake news” and “meaningless conspiracy theories”. However, Hungary’s minister for European affairs, János Bóka, said: “It is perfectly normal for the Hungarian foreign minister to talk to his Russian counterpart on the phone.” Germany described the allegations as “very serious”. “Discussions within the EU, including among EU foreign ministers, are confidential,” a German foreign ministry spokesman said. “We will not tolerate violations of these,” he added.

Ukraine’s military intelligence has “irrefutable” evidence that Russia continues to provide intelligence to Iran, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said He said on Monday that such activities would only prolong the war in the Middle East. “Russia uses its own signals intelligence and electronic intelligence capabilities, as well as some of the data obtained through cooperation with its partners in the Middle East,” he said in a statement on X. Speaking later in the night in a video speech, Zelenskyy said there was “growing evidence” of Russia’s ongoing efforts to pass intelligence to Iran. “This is clearly a destructive activity and must be stopped as it will only lead to further instability. It is in the interest of all responsible states to ensure security and prevent greater problems,” he said. “Markets are already reacting negatively, and this significantly complicates the fuel situation in many countries. Russia is effectively prolonging the war by helping the Iranian regime survive and attack more accurately.” The Kremlin last week dismissed as “fake news” a Wall Street Journal report that Russia was sharing satellite imagery and advanced drone technology with Iran.

Senior US officials traveled to Kiev this week for a meeting of the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, and both sides hope to move forward with the first investment project soon. US and Ukrainian officials said this. The fund, established within the scope of the mining agreement signed in April, became operational in December. Focusing on investments in critical mines and other strategic sectors, the investment is expected to reach $200 million by the end of the year. Ukrainian officials hope to announce three initial investment projects this year. A Ukrainian official said, “We are working hard to submit the first agreement to the investment committee for approval. At the moment, we think this is on the way to realization.” The fund aims to finance investments in three priority areas this year – critical minerals, hydrocarbon extraction and dual-use technologies, the official said.

UN Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the security council on Monday that an estimated 15,364 civilians, including 775 children, had been killed in Ukraine. Since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Christopher Landau, the US undersecretary of state, told the council that the US was committed to working with Russia and Ukraine to end the war. “We reiterate our call on both sides to negotiate in good faith, with a spirit of flexibility, compromises and the duty to protect and preserve the lives of their citizens,” Landau said. U.S. and Ukrainian delegations recently held two days of bilateral talks in Miami, Florida, to find ways to end the four-year war, but the war in Iran overshadowed those efforts.