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Israel Launches Fresh Strikes On Lebanon After Netanyahu Warning

Paramedics with the Lebanese Red Cross unearth a body from the rubble at the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted the northern Lebanese village of Aito on October 14.
Paramedics with the Lebanese Red Cross unearth a body from the rubble at the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted the northern Lebanese village of Aito on October 14.

Israeli forces launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon on October 15 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed no mercy for the Iran-backed militant group.

Multiple Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, taking a hospital in the city of Baalbek out of service, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The strikes came as Netanyahu vowed a ruthless response to a Hezbollah drone strike that killed four Israeli soldiers in central Israel on October 13.

Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to the military base where the four soldiers were killed, said Israel would continue to strike the group "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon -- including Beirut."

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing, and not the political party -- controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah attack on the Israeli army base in the town of Binyamina was one of the bloodiest since October last year and employed a "swarm" of drones that were difficult to locate and destroy by the Israeli air defenses.

Israel's sophisticated air defenses have usually shot down Hezbollah's rockets without problems.

Following the deadly Hezbollah strike, Israeli strikes killed 41 people and injured 124 in Lebanon on October 14, the Health Ministry said. More than half of the victims were killed in the northern village of Aito, which lies outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

Israel said it “struck a target belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” but the UN's human rights office in Geneva called for an independent investigation.

“We have real concerns with respect to…the laws of war,” said Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the human rights office. Laurence said the UN had received credible reports that a dozen women and children were among the dead.

In a televised speech on October 15, Hezbollah’s acting leader declared that the group is focused on “hurting the enemy” by targeting Haifa and other parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, vowed to “defeat our enemies and drive them out of our lands.”

Separately, Netanyahu's office said in a statement on October 15 that he will take into account the position of the United States -- Israel's main ally -- but will have his country's own "national interests" as a top priority as it ponders a response to a massive Iranian attack earlier this month.

"We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest," his office said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.

The warning came in a letter to their Israeli counterparts dated October 13 that restates U.S. policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers.

A senior U.S. defense official said on October 15 that Blinken and Austin sent the letter as they saw a recent decrease in assistance reaching Gaza. The official said a similar letter sent by Blinken in April triggered “concrete measures from the Israelis.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest letter was a way to similarly address the problem.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's strike on October 1.

U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Netanyahu against striking Iran's nuclear or oil facilities to avoid a further escalation of the conflict.

On October 13, Biden announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts to defend its ally.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

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Russia Holds American Drug-Smuggling Suspect In Custody For 30 Days

U.S. citizen Kalob Wayne Byers, detained on suspicion of drug smuggling, appears on a screen in the courthouse during a video link to a court hearing in Moscow on February 15.
U.S. citizen Kalob Wayne Byers, detained on suspicion of drug smuggling, appears on a screen in the courthouse during a video link to a court hearing in Moscow on February 15.

A Russian court has ordered an American man to be held in custody for 30 days after he was arrested at a Moscow airport on drug-smuggling charges when customs officials said they found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage.

The arrest of the U.S. citizen, whom a Moscow court statement identified as Kalob Wayne Byers, 28, comes days after a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap that the White House described as a sign of a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the war in Ukraine.

Police said the American, whom Russian media outlets reported said was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on February 7 following a flight from Istanbul, was accused of smuggling a "significant amount" of drugs into Russia. A court post on Telegram said he faces a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to seven years.

Most suspects ordered held in custody are sent to pretrial jail. Custody orders can be extended repeatedly.

The United States and other Western governments have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin's government of arresting citizens of Western countries on fabricated or exaggerated charges and holding them as "hostages" it can trade with the United States and other countries.

This week, American teacher Marc Fogel, detained at a Moscow airport in 2021 with medical marijuana in his baggage, wasreleased in exchange for Aleksandr Vinnik, a confessed Russian cybercriminal.

A much larger exchange took place in August 2024, when Russia freed 16 people, including RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan. Eight Russians were returned home in that exchange, the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on a drug smuggling charge and spent 10 months behind bars in Russia before her release in December 2022 in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Thousands Block Streets In Central Serbia As Protest Wave Continues

Students hold flags of Serbia and their university departments as they walk to a protest in Kragujevac, Serbia, on February 15.
Students hold flags of Serbia and their university departments as they walk to a protest in Kragujevac, Serbia, on February 15.

KRAGUJEVAC, Serbia -- Thousands of people protested in the Serbian city of Kragujevac on February 15, blocking central streets in the latest in a wave of student-organized demonstrations demanding government accountability for the deaths of 15 people in a canopy collapse at the railway station in Novi Sad in November.

Protesters were joined by students who traveled to Serbia's fourth-largest city on foot as residents served up refreshments to the demonstrators in what was billed as a 15-hour blockade.

The crowd held 15 minutes of silence at 11:52 a.m., the exact time of the concrete canopy collapse on November 1, which has led to what may be the biggest challenge yet to President Aleksandar Vucic's political power.

Students Lead A Blockade In Serbia's City Of Kragujevac
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Students Lead A Blockade In Serbia's City Of Kragujevac
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"We started this fight with one clear goal, which is to fulfill our demands and for the institutions to start doing their work," a philosophy student from Belgrade who came to Kragujevac by bus with fellow students who were hosted by their peers overnight told RFE/RL, declining to give her name for publication.

"The reception was phenomenal," she said.

Student protests over the deadly accident have evolved into a broader movement opposing what demonstrators say is the crumbling rule of law and systemic corruption under Vucic, the president since 2017 and prime minister for three years before that. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest in over 200 cities and towns.

The date and 15-hour length of the protest in the central Serbian city was symbolic because February 15 is Statehood Day, which marks the adoption in 1835 of the first constitution of what was then the Principality of Serbia, a document known as the Constitution of Happiness.

The 1835 constitution included guarantees of the inviolability of the person, the right to a legal trial, the freedom of movement and residence, the inviolability of the home, and the right to choose an occupation. One of its goals was to limit the overwhelming power of the ruler, Prince Milos Obrenovic.

Later on February 15, Vucic’s ruling Progressive Party was planning to hold a rally in Sremska Mitrovica, a city 80 kilometers west of Belgrade, and a declaration on the northern province of Vojvodina. Vucic's supporters accuse student protesters of advocating the separation of Vojvodina from Serbia, but the students don't mention it in their demands.

IAEA Warns About Iran's Accelerated Uranium Production

Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (file photo)
Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (file photo)

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that Iran continues to increase its monthly production of enriched uranium to near weapons grade and time is running out to reach an agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that Tehran is increasing its monthly production of 60 percent enriched uranium by almost sevenfold.

"Iran will have about 250 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent by the time the IAEA’s next report is presented in the coming weeks," Grossi said on February 14 in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.

"It's clearly a sign that should be taken very seriously. So this is why I believe that we shouldn't be wasting more time. I hope that we can refocus on Iran," he said.

Earlier this month he called on the Trump administration and Iran to engage in dialogue to advance the nuclear talks, stressing that dialogue is "absolutely necessary" to make progress.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said last week that talks with the United States were "not smart, wise or honorable" after President Donald Trump restored his "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero to push it into a deal that would severely constrain its nuclear program.

Trump said at the time that he was “unhappy” to sign the maximum pressure order, but said he had to do it “because we have to be strong and firm.” Iran is "too close" to a nuclear weapon, he added, saying he is willing to talk with the Iranian leadership and hoped a deal could be reached.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian also supported Ali Khamenei's stance, claiming in a speech on the anniversary of the 1979 revolution that Trump wants to bring the revolution to its "knees."

Grossi said lack of a U.S. special representative for Iran is a hindrance.

"We are eagerly waiting for a U.S. envoy on Iran to be appointed so we can start exchanging views and seeing what the next steps will be," Grossi said. "We are in contact, but we haven't been able to have a political conversation with someone who is implementing the policies of the president."

The IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution in November ordering Iran to urgently improve cooperation with the agency and requesting a "comprehensive" report by spring aimed at pressuring Iran into fresh nuclear talks.

With reporting by Reuters
Updated

Europe May Not Be 'At The Table' For Ukraine Peace Talks, Trump's Envoy Says

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meet for talks at the Munich Security Conference on February 15.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meet for talks at the Munich Security Conference on February 15.

MUNICH -- Europe may not be "at the table" if the United States brokers negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine and Russia said.

Speaking at a lunch panel at the Munich Security Conference on February 15, Keith Kellogg suggested Washington is aiming to make substantial progress within weeks, saying he is operating "on Trump time."

"He'll ask you to do this job today, and he'll want to know tomorrow why isn't it solved," Kellogg said. "You got to give us a bit of breathing space and time, but when I say that, I'm not talking six months, I'm talking days and weeks."

Amid concerns in Kyiv and the European Union that they could be sidelined after Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week and said Russia and the United States would start negotiations immediately, Kellogg said Ukraine and Europe would not be left out.

"You've got to bring the allies with you. Are they going to play a part? Of course they are. You can't do it at the exclusion of anyone," he said. "We want to make sure it's lasting and it's sustainable peace," he added.

Asked whether he could assure the audience that "the Ukrainians will be at the table and the Europeans will be at the table," however, Kellogg replied, "Oh, well you just changed the whole dynamic."

"The answer to that last question...is no," he said, apparently referring to Europe. "The answer to the earlier part of that question is yes, of course the Ukrainians are going to be there."

"When you sit at the table...there's two protagonists" and an intermediary," Kellogg said, adding that "the fact is we’re looking at – you can have the Ukrainians and the Russians and obviously the Americans at the table."

In an interview with RFE/RL on the sidelines of the conference, Kurt Volker, Trump's envoy for Ukraine negotiations in 2017-19, said Kellogg's remarks indicated "that Ukraine will be at the table and [there is] a little bit of uncertainty about how President Trump is going to handle Europe."

Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, also said the United States is going go find that "we have to put more pressure on Putin so that he concludes he has to do a cease-fire."

Speaking at the Munich conference earlier on February 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on European countries to create a common army in the face of possible U.S. disengagement and a continued threat from Russia.

"The time has come, the armed forces of Europe must be created," he said.

"If the Americans decided to go that way, decreasing their presence, it's not good, of course, it's very dangerous," he said, speaking in English.

Zelenskyy’s call came at an annual conference that, this year, has been dominated by the question of Ukraine and the position of the new U.S. administration on ending the war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

Delegates here in Munich have voiced concern over statements by senior U.S. officials this week, suggesting Washington is ready to make major concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in Munich, U.S. officials have also reiterated calls for European countries to spend more on defense and take on a bigger share of the security burden.

Zelenskyy suggested the new U.S. administration had a new approach not only to Ukraine, but to Europe as a whole. "The old days are over," he said, saying Washington needed Europe as a market but not necessarily as an ally.

The answer, he said, was collective strength.

"America needs to see where Europe is heading, and this direction of European policy shouldn't just be promising. It should make America want to stand with a strong Europe."

As Munich Security Conference Opens, Zelenskyy Refutes Talk Of Imminent Deal
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Speaking before Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was glad the United States had reaffirmed its commitments to Ukraine, adding that nothing should be agreed without Kyiv's involvement.

There could be, he said, no "dictated" solution and "no decoupling" of European and U.S. security.

Scholz added that Germany had provided four times more support than the United States for Ukraine, when measured as a percentage of GDP.

The chancellor, who faces federal elections on February 23 that opinion polls predict he will lose, also responded to comments made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance yesterday criticizing standards of democracy in Europe and the levels of migration there.

"We will not accept that people who look at Germany from the outside intervene in our democracy, in our elections," Scholz said.

Vance's speech stunned delegates at the conference, who had been expecting him to lay out details of Washington's plans for peace in Ukraine. Vance also raised eyebrows here by meeting later with Alice Weidel, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A meeting between Vance and Zelenskyy on February 14 ended without a deal that would give the United States access to Ukrainian critical minerals, including rare-earth elements, which Trump has indicated he is seeking in exchange for aid to Ukraine.

The following day, Zelenskyy told journalists he had rejected the version of the agreement offered by the United States, saying it lacked "security guarantees" for Kyiv and "does not protect us."

No Agreement On Rare Earths After First Rounds Of U.S.-Ukraine Talks In Munich

A handout photograph released by the Ukrainian presidential press-service
A handout photograph released by the Ukrainian presidential press-service

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign an agreement to grant the United States 50 percent of all future reserves of rare earth metals in Ukraine, according to news reports following a meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. leaders at the Munich Security Conference on February 14.

Zelenskyy “politely refused" when members of the U.S. Congress proposed the agreement, the Washington Post reported.

Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance also discussed a critical minerals deal at the conference, but their meeting ended without an announcement.

"Our teams will continue to work on the document," Zelenskyy said on X. "We are ready to move as quickly as possible towards a real and guaranteed peace. We deeply value President [Donald] Trump’s determination, which can help stop the war and secure justice and security guarantees for Ukraine."

Trump said last week that he wants Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earth minerals as a form of payment for U.S. financial support.

"We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things," Trump said on February 3 at the White House, discussing how his administration intends to fulfill his campaign promise to quickly end the war in Ukraine.

Dozens of rare earth minerals are considered critical to the U.S. economy and national defense, and Ukraine has large deposits of many of them.

Zelenskyy said in February 4 that Ukraine would be “open to the fact, that all of this can be developed together, along with our partners who can help us protect our lands."

At their Munich meeting, Ukraine gave the U.S. delegation a revised agreement on rare earth metals amid concerns in Kyiv over a U.S. version that was presented to Ukraine on February 12.

The revised draft of the deal could open up its vast resources of key minerals to U.S. investment, according to Ukraine.

Two members of the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters that "some details" still needed to be worked out. It was not immediately clear what the sticking points are.

The U.S. draft version was presented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who traveled to Kyiv earlier this week with a view to reaching an agreement in Munich.

Bessent told Fox Business Network that the Trump administration's plan to end the war would "intertwine" the Ukrainian economy with the United States and make sure that “U.S. taxpayers receive the return for the money they put in."

Meeting for 90 minutes with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators behind closed doors in Munich, Zelenskyy voiced concern about the U.S. proposal presented by Bessent, according to Reuters, quoting three sources familiar with his presentation.

He "felt he was being asked unreasonably to sign something he hadn't had a chance to read", one of the sources said on condition of anonymity. "I don't think he appreciated being given a take-it-or-leave-it thing."

Zelenskyy discussed his own proposal for a mineral deal with the United States, the source said, saying it was drafted to comply with the Ukrainian constitution.

Two other sources characterized the proposal delivered by Bessent as "one-sided,” but declined to elaborate.

Zelenskyy’s office said in a statement after the talks that Ukraine and the United States "agreed to continue their work on drafting the document on economic partnership between the two countries." The statement also repeated Ukraine's demand for "real security guarantees."

Zelenskyy said on X that also met with a delegation of members of the U.S. House of Representatives led by Representative Michael Turner (Republican-Ohio) and informed the members about the situation on the battlefield, the results of the Kursk operation, and the threats posed by North Korea's involvement in combat operations.

He stressed the need for "reliable security guarantees," adding, "It is important to achieve a guaranteed and lasting peace as soon as possible through our joint strength."

With reporting by The Washington Post and Reuters


Romanian Opposition Welcomes Vance Comments On Election Annulment

U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left) and his wife Usha Vance arrive for the 61st Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on February 14.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left) and his wife Usha Vance arrive for the 61st Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on February 14.

BUCHAREST -- Romanian opposition politicians have welcomed comments made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in which he questioned the annulment of the country's presidential election after accusations of Russian meddling.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, Vance said that Romania canceled the election based on the "flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors."

The first round of Romania's presidential election was canceled by the Constitutional Court on December 6. According to Romanian intelligence reports, foreign actors had manipulated social-media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit far-right, pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu.

The campaign, the intelligence reports suggested, was likely orchestrated by Russia, which has denied any interference.

As Munich Security Conference Opens, Zelenskyy Refutes Talk Of Imminent Deal
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The president of the reformist opposition Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, who was supposed to face Georgescu in the second round of the election before it was canceled, said that Vance's comments “confirm what my colleagues and I have been saying for so long: It is vital that we explain why the elections were canceled.”

"What JD Vance is saying now shows that Romania has not explained to its external partners, nor even to its strategic partners, what happened last December," Lasconi said.

Lasconi has condemned the Constitutional Court’s decision, calling it illegal and immoral.

Deep Divisions In Romania

While Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, did not comment on Vance's speech, he made several reposts on X that were excerpting or offering commentary on Vance's speech.

The annulment of the vote has exacerbated deep divisions in Romanian politics. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on February 10 said he is resigning from his position amid an effort by the opposition to have him impeached after he stayed in power following the Constitutional Court's annulment of the election.

The new presidential vote is planned for May 4, with a possible run-off vote scheduled for May 18.

Lasconi said that the country now needed to take "concrete measures to ensure that the elections in May are safe.

Regarding the planned vote, the president of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, who finished fourth in the first round, said he is confident that "the elections in Romania will resume, as is natural, starting with the second round."

In response to Vance's speech, Simion said that "we will organize in the coming period, from petitions to rallies, all the necessary, democratic, peaceful instruments, to put the Romanian people and their will first."

Simion, together with parliamentarians from AUR, filed a request on January 10 for the Constitutional Court to revise its verdict. His party has been leading protests since December against the decision.

In his speech at the Munich conference, Vance called for European politicians to have some perspective.

"You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social-media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage, even," Vance said. "But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with."

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who supported the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the election, posted on X that "Romania remains a defender of the democratic values that Europe shares with the USA. All RO authorities are committed to organizing free & fair elections by empowering citizens and guaranteeing the freedom to vote."

Vance Warns Europe About Free Speech And 'Unvetted' Immigration

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers his speech during the 61st Munich Security Conference.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers his speech during the 61st Munich Security Conference on February 14.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance used his address at the Munich Security Conference to warn that free speech appears to be “in retreat” across Europe and that “unvetted” immigration represents a dire threat to the continent.

While the center of attention in the run-up to the three-day conference was the push by U.S. President Donald Trump to seek a peace deal that would end Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, Vance zeroed in on what he portrayed as Europe’s divergence from core values.'

"The threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia. It's not China, it's not any other external actor. And what I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values," Vance said.

'Free Speech, I Fear, Is In Retreat'

Both Trump and Vance have been sharply critical of what they view as restrictions of free speech in Europe, in particular regarding EU regulation of social media with the stated aim of tackling hate speech and misinformation.

After Car Attack In Munich, Germans And Migrants Warn Of Political Fallout
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“In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town. And under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square,” Vance said.

"Across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat," he added.

Vance also addressed what he called Europe’s decision to open the “floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants," echoing one of the central campaigning issues that Trump ran on in his successful bid for the White House last year.

Munich Attack

His address came one day after an Afghan asylum-seeker was arrested in Munich over a car-ramming attack that left dozens wounded and appears to have had an Islamic extremist motive.

"How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our shared civilization in a new direction?" Vance said.

"Why did this happen in the first place? It's a terrible story, but it's one we've heard way too many times in Europe and, unfortunately, too many times in the United States as well,” Vance added, calling migration to Europe “out of control.”

Ahead of his speech, Vance said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that "unfortunately, the will of voters has been ignored by a lot of our European friends" on the issue of immigration.

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a news conference on February 14 that outsiders “may not have a full overview of the political debate" in Germany and should not be "meddling in the internal affairs of a friendly country."

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ray Furlong in Munich, Reuters, AFP, and AP

Russian Drone Strike Damages Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Shield, Zelenskyy Says

Damage from what Ukraine says was a Russian drone strike on a protective sarcophagus at Chernobyl on February 14.
Damage from what Ukraine says was a Russian drone strike on a protective sarcophagus at Chernobyl on February 14.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian drone struck and “significantly” damaged the protective sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant but that radiation levels were normal after the incident.

Zelenskyy said in a statement that the concrete sarcophagus damaged in the strike covered Chernobyl's decaying reactor number four and accused Russia of “completely disregarding the consequences” of such an attack.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the damage. "During the night of 13-14 Feb, at around 01:50, IAEA team at the Chornobyl site heard an explosion coming from the New Safe Confinement, which protects the remains of reactor 4 of the former Chornobyl NPP (New Safe Confinement ), causing a fire. They were informed that a UAV had struck the NSC roof," the nuclear watchdog posted on X.

“This is a terrorist threat to the entire world,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said the fire at the site had been extinguished and that authorities are continuing to monitor radiation levels.

His statement comes amid a push by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to negotiate an end to the full-scale invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched against Ukraine three years ago this month.

Zelenskyy said Russia “carries out such attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and our cities every night” and accused Putin of “definitely not preparing for negotiations.

“He is preparing to continue deceiving the world,” Zelenskyy said.

'Shahed Drones'

Russia's state-run TASS news agency on February 14 cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as calling Zelenskyy's statement a "provocation" and a "fabrication" but provided no evidence for those claims.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on February 14 that Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight with 133 Shahed drones, 73 of which were shot down.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities have been repeatedly attacked, prompting concerns from the IAEA and the international community about possible radiation leaks.

Near Chernobyl, Residents Recall Brutality Of Russian Invasion
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The sarcophagus that Zelenskyy said was hit in a Russian drone stroke covers reactor number four at Chernobyl, the site of site of the worst nuclear accident in history in April 1986.

The new confinement structure over the damaged reactor was completed in 2019 as part of a $2.2 billion international project involving 45 countries. The United Nations predicted the new shield “should make the reactor complex stable and environmentally safe for the next 100 years."

Svitlana Vodolaha, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, said on February 14 that the scale of the damage to the protective shield was not yet clear.

“For now, we can say that the open fire that broke out as a result of the attack was extinguished by rescuers,” Vodolaha said, adding that rescue teams were “working to eliminate” smoldering in one area.

In a February 14 post on X, European Union Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Russia of “recklessly” attacking the Chernobyl site and said “such attacks on civilian nuclear sites are unacceptable.”

“It shows once again that Russia is not looking for peace,” Kallas wrote.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance was expected to meet Zelenskyy on February 14 at the Munich Security Conference.

Andriy Yermak, chief of Zelenskyy's office, said in a post on X that the Ukrainian side would provide its "American partners" information "about Russia's attack on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, about how they are constantly launching drones over the Chernobyl zone," and about the threats to nuclear safety that they pose.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Current Time and RFE/RL's Russian Service

Convicted Russian Cybercriminal Returns To Russia After Release Of American

Russian Alexander Vinnik is escorted by police officers as he arrives at a courthouse in Greece in 2017. (file photo)
Russian Alexander Vinnik is escorted by police officers as he arrives at a courthouse in Greece in 2017. (file photo)

Confessed Russian cybercriminal Aleksandr Vinnik, who was released by the United States in a swap for an American citizen held by Russia for more than three years, has arrived in Moscow.

Vinnik arrived at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport late on February 13, according to Russian media reports. Vinnik's lawyer, Arkady Bukh, confirmed to TASS that Vinnik was on a flight that arrived from Turkey. Bukh said earlier that Vinnik’s flight from the United States to Moscow passed through Istanbul.

Vinnik's return was "yet another victory for Russian diplomacy and all services and agencies associated with his liberation," said Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament.

Vinnik, known as Mr. Bitcoin, was released from a California jail on February 12, according to multiple U.S. outlets citing unnamed White House officials.

Earlier that day, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed American Marc Fogel back to the United States after 3 ½ years in a Russian prison on marijuana possession charges.

Trump hailed Fogel's release as a show of Russia's "good will in terms of the war" in Ukraine as he ramps up diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

“We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war," Trump said after welcoming Fogel to the White House on February 11.

Vinnik is one of the heads of the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e. He was arrested in 2017 in Greece on charges of facilitating extortion, identity theft, and drug trafficking. He was extradited to France, where he was sentenced to five years in prison for creating malware, and from there extradited to the United States in 2022.

He pleaded guilty last year to operating a digital-currency website used by cybercriminals worldwide to launder money and was scheduled to be sentenced by California Judge Susan Illston in June.

Fogel had been sentenced to 14 years in a Russian jail after being detained by Russian police in 2021 for possession of medical marijuana he says was prescribed to him after back surgery.

He is one of several Americans who have been arrested in Russia in recent years and handed long sentences on spurious charges.

The United States has referred to many of them as “hostages,” saying some appeared to have been set up by Russian law enforcement. Washington has accused the Kremlin of targeting Americans in an attempt to secure the release of important Russian citizens jailed in the West on charges of murder, hacking, and arms dealing.

Vinnik had been held by Western authorities for almost eight years. Russian cybercriminals who plead guilty in the United States rarely receive more than a 10-year sentence, an RFE/RL investigation of more than a dozen recent cases showed, implying that Vinnik might have only received a sentence of time served at his June hearing.

Can The U.S. Bring Russia And Ukraine Together At Crucial Munich Talks?

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking to the press who are traveling with him to the Munich Security Conference
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking to the press who are traveling with him to the Munich Security Conference

The Munich Security Conference that opens February 14 could be a pivotal moment in the ongoing efforts to resolve the all-out war on Ukraine that Russia launched three years ago this month.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a planned meeting in Munich between high-ranking officials from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington scheduled to take place on the first day of the three-day conference.

“Tomorrow is the meeting in Munich. Russia is going to be there with our representatives. Ukraine is also invited,” Trump told reporters at the White House on the eve of the event.

He did not say who would represent each country in the talks but said it would be “high-ranking people from Russia, from Ukraine, and from the United States.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, are expected to attend the Munich conference, as is Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian media, however, quoted a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as denying that a meeting with a Russian representative was planned.

"Talks with the Russians in Munich are not expected," the media reports quoted Dmytro Lytvyn as saying.

High Stakes

The uncertainty about the meeting reflects the intense high-stakes diplomacy that has been under way ahead of the annual conference that draws political leaders, senior military officials, and diplomats to the German city.

Trump announced on February 12 that he spoke by telephone for more than an hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said they agreed to begin peace talks to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

That development elicited mixed reactions from Kyiv and its European allies. Zelenskyy has made it clear that Ukraine will not accept any agreements that do not directly involve it. “We simply cannot accept any agreements without us as an independent nation,” he said.

Kyiv fears it may be excluded from efforts to end the conflict on its own soil and pushed into a cease-fire or peace agreement that benefits Moscow and exposes Ukraine to more Russian aggression.

Spokesman Lytvyn emphasized that the Ukrainian position remains unchanged: Ukraine should first talk to the United States, while Europe should be a participant in "any serious conversation for the sake of real and lasting peace."

European leaders have also voiced concerns about the U.S. strategy, in particular that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity may be jeopardized if the United States makes concessions to Russia.

"Any quick fix is a dirty deal," said Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, warning against any agreements that could be seen as appeasement.

Reassurances

Partly in response to those concerns, Vance and Rubio had been scheduled to meet with President Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the conference, although it's not clear if that meeting is still taking place.

The U.S. defense secretary, Hegseth, said at a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels that Trump's plan to negotiate with Russia was "certainly not a betrayal" of Kyiv.

Trump also called Zelenskyy and said on February 13 that he assured the Ukrainian president that he would have a seat at the table during any peace negotiations with Russia.

Squeezing Ukraine out of the peace talks would be seen as a win in Moscow. Putin has said on numerous occasions that Russia and the United States should be the primary mediators on the issue and has attempted to discredit Zelenskyy by falsely claiming he is illegitimate.

Under discussion in any talks, in whatever formats, will be whether Ukraine should cede territory currently occupied by Russia; the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO; the potential deployment of international peacekeeping forces; and the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia.

Trump Proposes Talks With Xi And Putin On Cutting Nuclear Stockpiles

Two activists dressed up as U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin ride two atomic bomb models during a protest in Berlin for a world without nuclear weapons. (file photo)
Two activists dressed up as U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin ride two atomic bomb models during a protest in Berlin for a world without nuclear weapons. (file photo)

President Donald Trump said he would like to hold nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China after conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are resolved.

The chief motivation would be to find ways to save money, Trump said on February 13 at the White House, lamenting the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in rebuilding the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

“There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons, we already have so many,” Trump said. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”

The Congressional Budget Office in 2017, the first year of Trump’s first term as president, forecast that the U.S. modernization program would cost $1.3 trillion over several decades.

All three countries are “spending a lot of money" on their nuclear programs that could be spent on "things that are actually, hopefully much more productive," Trump said, speaking to reporters at the White House.

Trump said he would like hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin and get to commitments to cut their own spending on nuclear weapons.

“One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, ‘let’s cut our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I think we’ll be able to.”

Trump said he would look to engage in talks with the two countries on denuclearization “once we straighten it all out" in the Middle East and Ukraine.

While the U.S. and Russia have held massive stockpiles of weapons since the Cold War, China has far fewer, but Trump predicted that it would catch up in five to six years.

The United States once had multiple nuclear arms treaties with Russia, but only one, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, remains. It caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy at 1,550 each and limits the number of deployed strategic delivery systems at 700. It also provides for a verification regime.

Russia warned this week that the outlook for extending the New START did not look promising. The treaty is due to run out on February 5, 2026.

Trump made a failed attempt late in his first term to negotiate limits on other categories of nuclear weapons and to add China to the treaty.

Russia has about 5,800 nuclear warheads, including retired stocks waiting to be dismantled, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The United States has 5,044 and China about 500. Some nuclear missiles carry multiple warheads.

After a steady decline since the 1980s, the global stockpile of warheads is increasing again, according to FAS. The main driver is China, which experts say seeks to boost its warheads to 1,500 by 2035.

“The bipolar nuclear order -- led by the United States and Russia -- has given way to a more volatile tripolar one,” the Center for a New American Strategy, wrote in a February 13 report.

The Kremlin launched a new, experimental ballistic missile into Ukraine last year after Washington approved Kyiv’s use of long-range weapons into Russia. It was part of nuclear saber rattling by Putin.

Putin last year widened the scope of Russia’s nuclear doctrine. It previously said Russia may use nuclear weapons in case of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.

The revised version says that Russia may use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack posing a “critical threat to our sovereignty,” Putin said.

It also proposed that aggression against Russia by any nonnuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state be considered a joint attack on Russia.

The change follows Putin’s warning to the United States and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons to hit Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO would be at war.

Afghan Detained In Munich Attack Sparks Fears Among Rest Of Community

Police investigate the scene after an Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd in Munich, injuring 28 people.
Police investigate the scene after an Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd in Munich, injuring 28 people.

MUNICH, Germany -- Police in Munich arrested an Afghan asylum seeker after he rammed a car into a crowd in the German city, injuring 28 people and leaving many Afghans in the country on edge amid calls during an election campaign for tougher immigration laws.

Despite a heavy police presence in the city a day before many high-profile leaders such as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend the Munich Security Conference, the man, identified by German media as 24-year-old Farhad N., drove his vehicle into a demonstration held by trade unionists.

"The suspect will be brought before an investigating judge tomorrow [February 14]. We are still at the crime scene with our forensic team and specialists," Munich police said.

Police said they fired one shot at the vehicle, a Mini Cooper, and arrested the man at the scene where victims, clothes and even a stroller were strewn around the street.

After Car Attack In Munich, Germans And Migrants Warn Of Political Fallout
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Munich police said authorities have "indications of an extremist motive" and that prosecutors are investigating. Several news outlets, including Der Spiegel, cited sources as saying the man is thought to have posted Islamist content online before the attack.

"Afghans living in Germany are deeply saddened and worried about their future due to this and similar incidents," Rahmatullah Ziarmaal, an Afghan journalist who lives in the city of Limburg, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

"Many Afghans feel particularly distressed by such events, fearing that anti-immigration parties will exploit them for political gain, making life even more difficult for refugees."

Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister for the state of Bavaria, said the suspect's application for asylum had been rejected, but he hadn't been deported because of security concerns in Afghanistan.

The incident is likely to enflame already heated rhetoric as Germans prepare to vote in parliamentary elections on February 23.

Germany has the largest Afghan community in Europe with an estimated 377,000 Afghan citizens residing in the country at the end of 2022, according to the country's statistics agency.

"We have to continue with deportations...even to Afghanistan, a very difficult country," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters in Munich.

Several violent incidents involving immigrants have bolstered far-right candidates, who narrowly trail center-right conservatives.

Both have been critical of Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, accusing him of being soft on immigration, which they blame for an increase in violent crime rates.

Yousuf Rahimi, an Afghan resident of Munich who is awaiting approval of his asylum application, told RFE/RL that many Afghans come to the country because of the open immigration policies but fail to assimilate and end up getting involved in crime and drugs.

"People like this create difficulties for Afghans like me who genuinely seek asylum, want to contribute positively to German society, and hope to build a future here," he said.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters

Two Killed In Botched Suicide Bombing Attack On Taliban Ministry

An armed Taliban soldier at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan. (file photo)
An armed Taliban soldier at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan. (file photo)

A suicide bombing attack on the Taliban-led Ministry for Urban Development office in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has killed two people and injured three more.

Taliban authorities said the attacker was one of the people killed in the February 13 attack.

“The suicide bomber was identified and eliminated at the entrance of the ministry,” said Mohammad Kamal Afghan, a spokesman for the Taliban's Urban Development Ministry.

He told journalists that the attack happened just before noon local time.

No group has immediately accepted responsibility for the attack.

But the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), an ultraradical rival of the Taliban, claimed credit for a separate attack earlier this week.

On February 11, at least eight people were killed in a suicide bank outside a bank in the northern city of Kunduz. IS-K said it targeted the Taliban government employees while they collected their salaries.

Earlier on December 11, an IS-K suicide bomber killed Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s refugee minister. Five more people were killed in the attack inside the Refugee Ministry compound in Kabul.

Haqqani, in his 60s, was the most senior Taliban figure killed by IS-K since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

IS-K has repeatedly targeted Afghanistan's Shi’ite minority and followers of the moderate Sufi orders.

In recent years, the group has embarked on terror attacks internationally. Last year, it claimed credit for attacks in Iran and Russia. Individuals linked to the group have also been detained in the United States and Europe.

On February 10, a meeting of the UN Security Council declared the group a significant threat to global security.

“We remain concerned about IS-K's capabilities to plot and conduct attacks as well as sustain recruitment campaigns, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said Dorothy Shea, the interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The Taliban promised security after returning to power three years ago but has not been able to stamp out attacks by the IS-K. It launched a brutal crackdown against the IS-K and claimed to have killed or detained hundreds of its members.

Afghanistan’s tiny Salafist minority, however, has complained of being on the receiving end of the Taliban clampdown on IS-K as its members were unjustly persecuted.

In 2015, the IS-K emerged as the local branch of the Islamic State, which ruled vast swathes of territories in Syria and Iraq.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, VOA, Reuters, and AFP

Ukraine, Russia Exchange Drone Strikes That Moldova Says Breached Its Border

Aftermath of a Russian drone strike in the Odesa region on the night of February 13.
Aftermath of a Russian drone strike in the Odesa region on the night of February 13.

Ukraine said it destroyed two "Valdai" radar systems near Moscow in a wave of overnight drone attacks, while Moldova said two Russian drones exploded on its territory and NATO member Romania said its airspace had likely been breached.

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) said in a statement on February 13 that the strikes targeted a military unit in the Russian city of Dolgoprudny that is responsible for the security of the airspace over Moscow.

"The explosive device destroyed two Russian Valdai radar systems designed for 24-hour automatic detection and counteraction of UAVs. This is the latest development of the Russian military-industrial complex -- the first model in its class adopted by the army of the aggressor state of Russia," the GRU statement said.

Russia has not commented on the GRU claims.

Moscow launched a massive attack of its own in the early hours of February 13, targeting Ukraine's southern Odesa region.

Oleh Kiper, head of the district's military administration, said the attack damaged port infrastructure and an inactive educational institution.

As local residents captured videos of the attack, multiple flying objects were observed in the night sky over the region. Ukrainian authorities had declared an air raid alert in the city of Izmayil, in the southwestern part of Ukraine, near its borders with Romania and Moldova.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said two Russian Shahed drones violated Moldova's airspace and exploded on its territory, while Romania's Defense Ministry said the two drones likely breached its airspace.

"Russia does not respect borders, attacks civilians, and spreads terror. Its war against Ukraine is criminal. Leave us, peaceful nations, alone," Sandu wrote on social media platform X.

Mihai Popsoi, Moldova's foreign minister, said the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incidents.

The latest drone strikes highlight the escalating aerial conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides launching cross-border attacks. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian territory with drones, while Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian infrastructure, often striking civilian areas.

In the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Russian shelling damaged a multi-story residential building, injuring two people, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of the Kherson region.

Across the border in Russia, the Lipetsk region was struck by Ukrainian drones, leading to temporary power outages in its administrative center also called Lipetsk.

Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov reported the drone threat on Telegram and later confirmed that electricity had been restored in several affected areas.

Artamonov stated that debris from one of the drones fell on an aeration station, injuring an employee. Additional drone wreckage was found at two private residences, though no casualties were reported.

No Deals Without Us, Zelenskyy Says In Response To Trump-Putin Call On Ukraine

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 12, 2025 shows
(from L) U.S. President Donald Trump listening during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Febru
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 12, 2025 shows (from L) U.S. President Donald Trump listening during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Febru

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted sharply to U.S. President Donald Trump's agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations to end the war with Ukraine, saying he won't accept any deals made without Ukraine's involvement.

Trump's call on February 12 is seen as part of the White House's aim to move quickly toward ending the almost 3-year-old war, and "certainly not a betrayal" of Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on February 13.

But news of the 90-minute phone call between the two leaders sent shockwaves across Europe, where leaders bitterly complained of seemingly being cut out of the process.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine cannot "allow everything to go according to Putin’s plan” and cannot accept any agreements made without it. Speaking during a visit to a nuclear power station in western Ukraine, he said he wanted to "articulate this very clearly to our partners."

Trump said later on February 13 at the White House that Ukraine would have a seat at the table during any peace negotiations with Russia.

Trump said again that he believes Putin "wants peace" and would "like to see something happen,” but Zelenskyy warned against putting any trust Putin's claims of readiness to end the war.

The Ukrainian leader said he wanted the United States to agree a "plan to stop Putin" before any negotiations.

Trump also repeated his criticism that former President Joe Biden had invited the conflict by assuring Ukraine it would eventually join NATO.

Trump told reporters that Putin was encouraged to invade Ukraine because he sensed U.S. and NATO weakness after the chaotic withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump also said Russia’s expulsion from the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 was another key factor in forcing Putin’s hand.

Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, is seen by the majority of nations in the world as an unprovoked and illegal act of aggression designed to grab land and and do away with the Ukrainian state and its democracy.

'I Think They Have To Make Peace'

Trump announced his call on February 12 in a post on Truth Social that said he and Putin “agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately."

He spoke further about his plans later at the White House, telling reporters: “I think we’re on the way to getting peace."

Why Are Rare Earth Minerals Making Headlines?
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In a blow to Ukraine's stated goals to join NATO and push Russia out of all parts of Ukraine it occupies, Hegseth told NATO allies in Brussels on February 12 that it is "unrealistic" to expect Ukraine's borders to revert to 2014 and said NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict.

Trump also said giving Ukraine NATO membership would not be “practical.”

The comments are some of the clearest indications from the new Trump administration of how the president intends to fulfill his election campaign promise to swiftly end the war, but some observers said it was a poor strategy to lay the groundwork for negotiations by granting terms favorable to Russia.

Oxana Shevel, a professor of political science at Tufts University, told RFE/RL that Ukraine had already reckoned that its hopes of joining NATO would be off the table in a negotiation process to end the war.

But she warned that it would be a bigger deal if Putin tried to convince Trump to rollback NATO’s declaration on Ukraine's "irreversible path" to membership.

“Putin would love to have that,” Shevel said, adding that she could not imagine that would go down well with the European NATO countries.

Shevel also said it’s a “bad negotiating strategy” to allow concessions even before talks begin but said, based on statements thus far, it’s too hard to know what exactly will be at stake.

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 13 during a meeting of defense ministers from the alliance's 32 members, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said "Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks.”

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added: "For me, it’s clear … that Europe must be involved in the negotiations -- and I think that’s very easy to understand.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters at a meeting at NATO headquarters on February 13 that any agreement must involve Ukraine and Europe.

"Any deal behind our backs will not work," she said.

Hegseth, who is also attending the meeting, was quick to defend Trump's initiative, saying "there is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace. A negotiated peace.”

"That will require both sides recognizing things they don't want to," he added.

Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, and its forces have been pushing forward in the eastern Donbas region for months, albeit at a massive cost, while pounding civilian targets nationwide.

Hegseth, who is on his first foreign trip since being confirmed late last month, has stressed in recent days that Ukraine should prepare for a negotiated peace settlement and that Europe must provide the "overwhelming share" of aid to Ukraine.

A settlement can be backed up by international troops but, Hegseth said U.S. forces would not be part of any security guarantee in a peace settlement.

Key Munich Conference

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is nearing its three-year mark later this month and diplomacy is heating up ahead of the February 14-16 Munich Security Conference, which Zelenskyy and senior U.S. officials plan to attend.

In another diplomatic push, Zelenskyy met in Kyiv on February 12 with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss a potential deal on Ukraine's critical minerals and said he hopes the two countries can reach an agreement on the matter at the conference in Munich.

Trump has said the United States wants access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals.

Bessent presented Zelenskyy with an initial draft agreement and said a deal on the minerals could leave Ukraine with a "security shield" once the war with Russia is over.

Zelenskyy has stressed that strong Western security guarantees for Ukraine with U.S. involvement are crucial to any deal to end the war.

Trump said that he expects to meet Putin, probably in Saudi Arabia, saying it would take place "in the not too distant future."

He added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would also be involved.

RFE/RL Journalist Kuznechyk, Two Others, Released From Prison In Belarus

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, second from right, holds a portrait of her jailed husband Syarhey Tsikhanouski, attend a protest demanding freedom for political prisoners in Belarus in March 2024.
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, second from right, holds a portrait of her jailed husband Syarhey Tsikhanouski, attend a protest demanding freedom for political prisoners in Belarus in March 2024.

Three detainees, including a journalist with RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, have been released by Belarus as U.S. President Donald Trump looks to lay the basis for negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

"We can confirm the safe release of one American and two individuals from Belarus," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on February 12. Leavitt did not name the American who had been released, but said it was "a remarkable victory on the heels of Marc Fogel returning to America last night."

Fogel, an American teacher held in Russia since 2021, was freed on February 11 in a prisoner swap for confessed Russian cybercriminal Aleksandr Vinnik. He celebrated his release at the White House with Trump, who said it was an indication of Russia's "good will in terms of the war" in Ukraine.

The White House also described the prisoner releases as a sign of a diplomatic thaw that could help advance negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine.

A White House statement said the American released by Belarus was the 11th freed from captivity abroad since Trump took office on January 20. Special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, said that Trump “has made bringing Americans home a top priority and people respond to that.”

RFE/RL President & CEO Stephen Capus said earlier on February 12 that RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk had been reunited with his family in Lithuania.

“This is a joyous day for Andrey, his wife, Alesya, and their two young children. After more than three years apart, this family is together again thanks to President [Donald] Trump,” Capus said in a statement, noting the efforts of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Lithuanian government.

RFE/RL President Says Kuznechyk’s Freedom Marks A Win, But Other Journalists Remain Jailed
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Kuznechyk was arrested on November 25, 2021, and initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected. After serving that penalty, Kuznechyk was not released but charged again, this time for allegedly creating an extremist group.

Kuznechyk was arrested amid a crackdown on protests over the 2020 presidential election that saw long-time authoritarian ruler Aleksandr Lukashenko emerge with his sixth consecutive term. The opposition and Western governments say the vote was rigged.

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced to leave Belarus after the election over safety fears, said Kuznechyk's release was "wonderful news."

Tsikhanouskaya, who filled in when her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was arrested and jailed during his presidential campaign, said on X that activist Alena Maushuk was the other Belarusian released on February 12.

Maushuk was detained in 2020 and sentenced the following year to six years on a charge of taking part in mass riots.

Franak Viachorka, an aide to Tsikhanouskaya, said on Facebook that Maushuk "is in a difficult physical and psychological condition."

Viachorka described Maushuk as a “brave and humble woman” who spent more than four years behind bars.

“She lost her health, but not her humanity. Thank God -- now she is free,” he said, adding that Maushuk described “all the horrors that she had to go through" while being driven to a "safe place."

Maushuk said she was given little notice ahead of her release. She was informed while on her dinner break from her factory job that her pardon had been considered and there was an agreement to release her on the condition that she leave Belarus.

According to Maushuk, she was forced to put a mask over her eyes before being escorted to the border with Lithuania by guards. Only when they arrived at the border was the mask removed and her passport returned.

Rubio called the two Belarusian detainees "political prisoners" and thanked the Lithuanian government for its assistance. He said the third person freed was an American but did not identify the individual further.

"We remain committed to the release of other U.S. citizens in Belarus and elsewhere," Rubio said in a statement. "We call for the release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners who remain in jail across Belarus."

Rubio said last month that Belarus had "unilaterally released an innocent American" whom he named as Anastassia Nuhfer. He gave no further details about the case, which had not previously been made public.

Details surrounding Nuhfer's detention remain unclear. Minsk never disclosed her name, and Washington does not release the names of detained Americans abroad without the consent of their families.

RFE/RL Journalist Kuznechyk Released After More Than 3 Years In Belarus Prison

RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk
RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk

Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist with RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, has been released from a Belarusian prison after being held for more than three years on charges he, his employer, U.S. officials and human rights organizations called politically motivated.

The release of the father of two on February 12 comes a day after the Trump administration secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from Russia, a key ally of Belarus.

“This is a joyous day for Andrey, his wife, Alesya, and their two young children. After more than three years apart, this family is together again thanks to President [Donald] Trump,” RFE/RL President & CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement on February 12, noting the efforts of Secretary of State Marco Rubio "and his team," as well as the Lithuanian government for its support.

RFE/RL Journalist Andrey Kuznechyk Released From Detention In Belarus
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RFE/RL Journalist Andrey Kuznechyk Released From Detention In Belarus
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“We remain hopeful that our journalist Ihar Losik will also be released and look to the Trump administration for its continued leadership and guidance,” Capus added, referring to another RFE/RL journalist currently detained in Belarus.

RFE/RL President Says Kuznechyk’s Freedom Marks A Win, But Other Journalists Remain Jailed
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Kuznechyk was arrested on November 25, 2021 after being followed home by four unidentified security agents, and initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected.

After serving that penalty, Kuznechyk was not released but charged again, this time for allegedly creating an extremist group, a move that officials didn't reveal to Kuznechyk's relatives and colleagues for months.

On June 8, 2022, the Mahilyou regional court in the country's east found Kuznechyk guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison after a trial lasted just one day.

Human rights groups in Belarus had recognized Kuznechyk as a political prisoner and his case is seen as part of the larger campaign of repression against RFE/RL journalists and independent media in Belarus.

"Wonderful news," Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced to leave Belarus with her children over safety fears, said of Kuznechyk's release.

The crackdown came the country was rocked by massive protests over a disputed 2020 presidential election that saw long-time authoritarian ruler Aleksandr Lukashenko emerge with his sixth consecutive term. The opposition and Western governments say the vote was rigged.

Last month, Belarusian state TV channel ONT aired several segments of a propaganda film about RFE/RL journalists held in Belarusian prisons, accusing them of "trying to set Belarus on fire."

The series, Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), appeared to be aimed at discrediting independent journalists who have been reporting on government abuses and repression in Belarus just ahead of a January 26 presidential election that Lukashenko also easily won.

In the segment, Kuznechyk appeared emaciated as he talked with one of the filmmakers in what looked to be prison surroundings. Dressed in a jacket and hat, he spoke in calm and measured tones but looked fatigued. The segment concluded with footage of him being escorted away under guard.

Losik, as well as Ihar Karney, who previously wrote for RFE/RL – both of whom remained in prison in Belarus – were the focus of subsequent segments of the film.

Meanwhile, American citizen Anastasia Nuhfer was unilaterally released from a Belarusian prison on January 26.

Details surrounding Nuhfer's detention remain unclear, with her name previously absent from public discourse. Minsk never disclosed her name, and Washington does not release the names of detained Americans abroad without the consent of their families.

Trump Says He And Putin Agreed To 'Start Negotiations Immediately' On Ending War In Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the beginning of a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018, during Trump's first term.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the beginning of a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018, during Trump's first term.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, stepping up his push to broker a peace deal and saying he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed their teams would "start negotiations immediately" on ending the war in Ukraine.

"We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects" in a "lengthy and highly productive" call with Putin on February 12, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social media outlet.

He said he and Putin both "want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine," in which estimates of military casualties on both sides taken together, including dead and wounded, total between 1 and 2 million. Many Ukrainian civilians have also been killed.

"We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately," Trump said, adding that he was about to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to inform him of the conversation."

Zelenskyy later said he and Trump discussed "opportunities to achieve peace" and "our readiness to work together at the team level," among other things.

"Ukraine wants peace more than anyone. We will determine our joint steps with America to stop the Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, prolonged peace," he said in social media posts. "As President Trump said, 'Let's get it done.'"

In a social media post, Trump said his conversation with Zelenskyy "went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE."

Trump said later that he expects to meet Putin, probably in Saudi Arabia. He also said he did not think it was practical for Ukraine to have NATO membership and it was unlikely that Ukraine would get back all the land that Russia is occupying.

The U.S. president told reporters that Putin said he wanted the war to end and did not want a return to fighting six months later.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Trump "expressed support for an immediate cessation of hostilities and resolving the issue through peaceful means."

"President Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement can be achieved through peaceful negotiations," Peskov said.

He did not elaborate, but Putin has accused Washington and the West of using Ukraine to undermine Russian security, a claim the United States, NATO, and the European Union say is baseless.

Peskov said Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow and that Russia is prepared to receive U.S. officials for talks.

The call was the first confirmed direct contact between the two presidents since Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to broker a swift end to the war, took office on January 20.

It came as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its three-year mark later this month and as diplomacy heats up ahead of the February 14-16 Munich Security Conference, which Zelenskyy and senior U.S. officials plan to attend.

In Kyiv, Zelenskyy met with visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss a potential deal on Ukraine's critical minerals and said he hopes the two countries can reach an agreement on the matter at the conference in Munich.

Zelenskyy spoke at a joint press conference with Bessent, who presented him with an initial draft agreement during their meeting and said a deal on the minerals could leave Ukraine with a "security shield" once the war with Russia is over.

Trump has said the United States wants access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. Zelenskyy has stressed that strong Western security guarantees for Ukraine, with U.S. involvement, are crucial to any deal to end the war.

Bessent said his visit showed that the Trump administration is determined to end the war and that the United States stands with Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Trump's promises to end the war quickly have caused concerns in Kyiv that it may be pressured to accept a lopsided peace or cease-fire deal that favors Moscow and leaves Ukraine vulnerable to further Russian assaults.

Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, and its forces have been pushing forward in the eastern Donbas region for months, albeit at a massive cost, while pounding civilian targets nationwide.

In a blow to Ukraine's hopes of regaining control over its entire territory, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it is "unrealistic" to expect Ukraine's borders to return to their positions before 2014, when Russia seized Crimea and fomented war in the Donbas.

Hegseth also told a meeting of Ukraine's military allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 12 that Washington would not deploy troops to Ukraine in any agreed peace deal and that NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict.

He added that U.S. forces would not be part of any security guarantee in a peace settlement.

"We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," Hegseth said in some of the most detailed comments by a U.S. official on how Trump will approach efforts to end the war.

"To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine," Hegseth told a group of some 50 member countries who have been supporting Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

(With reporting by Reuters)

Russian MP Valuev Barred From Entering Azerbaijan Over ‘Offensive’ Remarks

Russian boxer and politician Nikolai Valuev. (File photo)
Russian boxer and politician Nikolai Valuev. (File photo)

Azerbaijan has banned Russian State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Valuev from entering the country after he accused Baku of using Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia for criminal activities.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizade said Baku made the decision after Valuev’s “offensive statements against Azerbaijan and our people.”

“His threatening remarks against our country are absolutely unacceptable,” Hajizade said in a statement.

A former world heavyweight boxing champion, Valuev is the third Russian lawmaker to be banned from entering Azerbaijan.

Hajizadeh noted in his statement that all three Russian MPs declared persona non grata “regretfully” belong to the ruling United Russia party.

Valuev made his comments after Azerbaijan last week ordered the closure of the so-called Russia House, a local branch of Russia’s state-run cultural diplomacy agency Rossotrudnichestvo.

The Russian lawmaker wrote on his Telegram channel that while Azerbaijan does not have a similar institution in Russia, it has a diaspora that has "nothing to do with cultural exchange, but money."

"To put it tactfully, this money is not always legal.... isn't it time to a take a closer look at [the diaspora]?" he wrote.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has said the Russian cultural center lacked legal registration and it expected Moscow to take steps to rectify it. Moscow says it has ”repeatedly” requested Baku to help with the registration but has not received a response.

Local media, citing unnamed sources, said Russia House in Baku was closed due to alleged involvement in intelligence gathering.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Russia have soured since the December 25 downing of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 near the Kazakh city of Aqtau by Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the disaster, which killed 38 and injured 29 people, and said air defenses were activated in the Chechnya region to repel an alleged Ukrainian drone attack.

Hegseth Says Return To Ukraine's Pre-2014 Borders 'Unrealistic'

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a meeting of Ukraine's military allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 12, 2025.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a meeting of Ukraine's military allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 12, 2025.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it's "unrealistic" to expect Ukraine's borders to return to their pre-2014 positions after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv could offer Moscow territory seized by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in exchange for land occupied by Russia.

Hegseth, on his first foreign trip since being confirmed, told a meeting of Ukraine's military allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 12 that Washington would not deploy troops to Ukraine in any agreed peace deal and that NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict.

He added that U.S. forces would not be part of any security guarantee in a peace settlement.

"We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," Hegseth said in the most direct public statement so far by a U.S. official on how President Donald Trump will approach ending the almost three-year-old war.

"To be clear as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine," Hegseth told a group of some 50 member countries who have been supporting Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Hegseth's comments came after Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that Ukraine was willing to "exchange one territory for another," though he did not know what territory Kyiv would request from Moscow in exchange for part of the Kursk region Ukrainian forces currently control.

"I don't know, we'll see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority here," Zelenskyy said in the interview published on February 11. In the past he has refused to give up any territory taken by Russia during the invasion.

Asked about Zelenskyy's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such a move is "impossible."

"Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the exchange of its territory," he said.

'They Must Return Everything': Ukrainians React To Proposed Territory Swap
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his troops will eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk, but has declined to put a timeline on when he sees this happening.

Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko told RFE/RL that he believes a territorial swap is possible, with the most likely scenario involving a mutual withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Kursk and Russian troops from Kharkiv.

"Unlike other occupied regions, Kharkiv has not been annexed. This makes a withdrawal there more likely," Fesenko said.

Russian Missile Strike On Kyiv Leaves 1 Killed, 4 Wounded
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Russian Missile Strike On Kyiv Leaves 1 Killed, 4 Wounded
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Zelenskyy, who will meet on February 14 at the Munich Security Conference with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials, described himself as ready for serious talks.

"I think it's very important for us to meet with the American side before they meet with the Russian side because the war is on our soil," Zelenskyy said.

The interview was published as the White House announced that Moscow had released American teacher Marc Fogel, who had been deemed wrongfully detained by Moscow, and just hours ahead of another deadly Russian missile strike on Kyiv.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said the missiles hit in the early hours of February 12 after authorities issued a ballistic alert and at least one person was killed and four others wounded.

"Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the Kyiv region," Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy's office, said on Telegram. "This is how [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants the war to end."

Emergency services were called to at least four districts of the Ukrainian capital, and the military administration said that fires broke out at several residential and nonresidential buildings.

Strikes in the Sumy region on February 11 killed at least two civilians, injured two others, and caused widespread damage to apartment buildings and other property, the press service of the regional military administration said.

The White House described the release of Fogel as a "good faith" sign by Russia that could help advance the prospects for peace negotiations to end the full-scale war launched by Russia nearly three years ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been skeptical about continuing U.S. support for Kyiv, is pushing for a settlement of the war and has increased diplomatic efforts in recent days. His envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will also attend the Munich Security Conference and will travel to Ukraine afterward.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Kellogg said Washington wants Ukraine to hold elections, possibly by the end of the year. When asked about that possibility, Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainians are alarmed by such statements and don't understand why the country is being pushed to hold elections during the war.

"It is very important for Kellogg to come to Ukraine. Then he would understand the people and all our circumstances,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump has complained bitterly about the cost of aid that the United States has poured into Ukraine and has indicated the United States will demand something in return.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian some day. They may not be Russian some day, but we’re gonna have all this money in there and I said I want it back,” said Trump in an interview with Fox News on February 10.

Zelenskyy told the Guardian that he pitched the idea to Trump last year that the United States would get priority access to Ukraine’s rare earths in a deal to end the war.

Ukraine has the biggest uranium and titanium reserves in Europe, Zelenskyy said, and pointed out to Trump that it would not be in the interests of the United States for these reserves to be in Russian hands and potentially shared with North Korea, China, or Iran -- all allies of Moscow.

Trump recently mentioned rare earth minerals being part of a deal on the war in Ukraine and said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would travel to Ukraine to discuss rare earth mineral resources. The White House has not released any details on Bessent's trip.

U.S. To Release Russian Cybercriminal As Part Of Prisoner Exchange: Reports

US President Donald Trump welcomes American teacher and former detainee Marc Fogel to the White House after he was freed from Russia on February 11.
US President Donald Trump welcomes American teacher and former detainee Marc Fogel to the White House after he was freed from Russia on February 11.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is releasing a confessed Russian cybercriminal as part of a deal with the Kremlin that set American teacher Marc Fogel free, reports said.

Aleksandr Vinnik, known as Mr. Bitcoin, was expected to be released from a California jail on February 12, multiple U.S. outlets reported, citing unnamed White House officials.

The reports came a day after President Donald Trump welcomed Fogel back to the United States after 3 ½ years in a Russian prison on marijuana possession charges. The White House said it expected another American citizen to be released on February 12 but did not elaborate on the person’s identity or whether they were in a Russian prison.

Trump added that Fogel's release was based on a "very fair" deal and was an indication of Russia's "good will in terms of the war" in Ukraine.

"I think this could be a very important element, a big part of getting the war over," Trump told reporters at the White House as he stood next to Fogel, who was draped in an American flag.

"I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now," Fogel said. "I want you to know I am not a hero in this at all. President Trump is a hero. These men who came over from the diplomatic service are heroes," Fogel said. "I love our country and I’m happy to be back here."

Moscow Swaps American Journalists, Top Dissidents For Convicted Criminals
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Emergency Hearing

Vinnik was arrested in 2017 on a Greek beach at Washington’s request and eventually extradited to the United States in 2022.

He pleaded guilty last year to operating a digital-currency website used by cybercriminals worldwide to launder money and was scheduled to be sentenced by California Judge Susan Illston in June.

As first reported by RFE/RL, Illston held an unscheduled hearing via videoconference on February 11 with Vinnik and his lawyers less than an hour after the White House announced Fogel’s release.

When contacted by RFE/RL, Arkady Bukh, one of Vinnik’s lawyers, said he couldn't comment on the hearing as the judge ordered the proceedings to be sealed. The court did not respond to RFE/RL requests for comment.

Vinnik has been held by Western authorities for almost eight years. Russian cybercriminals who plead guilty in the United States rarely receive more than a 10-year sentence, an RFE/RL investigation of more than a dozen recent cases showed, implying that Vinnik may have only received a sentence of time served at his June hearing.

Fogel had been sentenced to 14 years in a Russian jail after being detained by Russian police in 2021 for possession of medical marijuana he says was prescribed to him after back surgery.

He is one of several Americans who have been arrested in Russia in recent years and handed long sentences on spurious charges.

The United States has referred to many of the American prisoners as “hostages,” saying some of them appeared to have been set up by Russian law enforcement. Washington has accused the Kremlin of targeting Americans in an attempt to secure the release of important Russian citizens jailed in the West on charges of murder, hacking, and arms dealing.

The United States and Russia carried our a few prisoner swaps during the administration of former President Joe Biden, but Fogel, who taught at the Anglo-American School in the Russian capital, had been passed over in each of them.

In December 2022, Russia released WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout while former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed was traded for drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshchenko in April of that year.

A much larger exchange took place in August 2024, when Russia freed 16 people, including RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan. Eight Russians were returned home in that exchange, the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.

Fogel’s 95-year-old mother met Trump at a July campaign rally in Pennsylvania to plead for his release amid frustration with the Biden administration.

During his confirmation hearing last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said improving U.S.-Russian relations would be impossible unless Fogel were freed.

The release of Fogel “is at the minimum the kind of thing you would hope to see of anyone who is serious about improving relations, especially if we can get the situation in Ukraine to a peaceful standing," Rubio said in the hearing, calling the case against him “ridiculous.”

Rubio said in a statement on February 11 that Trump had promised Fogel's family he would "bring Marc home." He added that Fogel's release "is also a reminder that other American citizens are still detained in Russia" and said Trump is committed to bringing all of them home.

In addition to Fogel, those deals left several other Americans behind and locked up in Russian jails, including musician Michael Travis Leake, U.S. Army staff sergeant Gordon Black, and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina.

Release Of American Is 'Good Faith' Move By Russia As U.S. Seeks End To War In Ukraine, White House Says

Marc Fogel was detained in 2021.
Marc Fogel was detained in 2021.

WASHINGTON -- An American teacher serving a 14-year sentence in Russia on charges of marijuana possession has been freed in an exchange that the White House said "serves as a show of good faith from the Russians" as the United States seeks a settlement to end the war in Ukraine.

A statement from the national-security adviser on February 11 said the release of Marc Fogel was also a "sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine."

The statement said special envoy Steve Witkoff was leaving Russian airspace with Fogel, who was detained by Russian police in 2021 upon arrival in Moscow for possession of medical marijuana he says was prescribed to him after back surgery. He was sentenced a year later.

Fogel, who taught at the Anglo-American School in the Russian capital following a stint at the U.S. Embassy, had been passed over in previous U.S.-Russia prisoner swaps.

Moscow Swaps American Journalists, Top Dissidents For Convicted Criminals
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The White House described his release as part of an "exchange" but did not say what the United States had given in return.

President Donald Trump answered "not much" when he was asked by a reporter at the White House what Russia had received in exchange.

"We were treated very nicely by the Russians," Trump said. "Actually, I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war."

In August 2024, Russia, the United States, and several other countries carried out the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War, freeing 16 people, including RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.

'I'm Finally In Good Hands': Freed RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva On Life After Russian Prison
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Those freed also included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

Eight Russians were returned home in that exchange.

Kosovar Parties Shut Out PM Kurti, Refuse Coalition After His Election Victory

Kosovar Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Vetevendosje party Albin Kurti (left) addresses supporters in Pristina on February 10.
Kosovar Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Vetevendosje party Albin Kurti (left) addresses supporters in Pristina on February 10.

PRISTINA -- The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) say they will not enter a coalition government with incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement (LVV), which won last weekend's parliamentary elections.

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC) on February 11 said that with 99 percent of ballots counted, LVV had around 41 percent of the vote, short of a majority.

PDK secured 22 percent of the ballots followed by Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 18 percent and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and its partner NISMA with around 7 percent. Observers say diaspora ballots will slightly shift the shares of vote, likely in Kurti's favor.

The weekend elections were seen as key in determining who will lead Kosovo amid stalled talks on normalizing ties with Serbia and while foreign funding for one of Europe's poorest countries has been thrown into doubt. Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo’s independence.

Forecasts for the distribution of seats in parliament give Kurti 54 mandates, meaning he would need seven more to form a majority.

"It's unlikely that [Kurti] will be able to form a government, but I don't think even the opposition have the unity to form a coalition," Rrahman Paçarizi, professor at the Department of Journalism at the University of Pristina, told RFE/RL, adding that the odds of an early election were high due to the political deadlock.

Kurti's rival and PDK candidate Bedri Hamza told a news conference on February 10 that there were "major differences" that prevented the formation of a coalition and accused LVV of wanting "absolute power" and of having "no plan" to run the country.

AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj struck a similar tone, saying he would "gladly cooperate with Albanian opposition parties" to form a majority government.

Lumir Abdixhiku, the leader of LDK, said the party will comment after the vote count.

Despite winning the February 9 elections, LVV’s support fell by around 10 percent compared to the 2021 elections.

David Kanin, professor of European Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, told RFE/RL that it remains to be seen if Kurti sticks to his pledge not to form a coalition if it means being shut out of power.

"Part of it depends on whether Kurti really means what he says when he says he won't go into a coalition. I don't know if he really believes that," Kanin said.

'Frightened' Iran Ready To Make Nuclear Deal, Trump Says

A woman walks past a banner showing missiles being launched in Tehran.
A woman walks past a banner showing missiles being launched in Tehran.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he believes a deal with Iran over its nuclear program can be reached as Tehran is eager to negotiate and avoid an escalation that could involve a military option.

Speaking in an interview on Fox News late on February 10, Trump said Iranian officials were "worried and frightened" of the consequences should a deal not be reached, hours after Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian questioned Washington’s sincerity in seeking negotiations with Tehran.

"Everyone thinks Israel, with our help or our approval, will go in and bomb the hell out of them. I would prefer that not happen," Trump said.

"You cannot allow Iran…to have a nuclear weapon, but there's two ways to stopping them: with bombs or a written piece of paper.... I think Iran would love to make a deal and I would love to make a deal with them without bombing them."

Trump said Tehran has been weakened by a "massive loss" to its air defenses, an apparent reference to Israeli strikes in late October that analysts have said dealt a "significant blow" to Iran's ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week dismissed the prospect of nuclear talks with the United States, insisting negotiations would not address Iran's problems days after Trump had talked of making a deal where Iranians could "get on" with their lives.

On February 4, Trump signed an order to restore his "maximum economic pressure" policy on Iran aimed at hurting its oil exports and slowing its nuclear program, which Tehran claims is for civilian purposes.

A landmark deal with world powers in 2015 had restricted Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

But Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term and reimposed sanctions in 2018, leading Tehran to accelerate its uranium enrichment and limit international inspections of its nuclear sites.

When he pulled out of the nuclear deal, Trump said Tehran was not living up to the spirit of the deal and was continuing attempts to develop nuclear weapons. He also accused Iran of supporting extremist violence in the region, which Tehran denied.

Trump told Fox News that any new agreement with Tehran must include being able to monitor, inspect, and verify Iran's nuclear activities and destroy nuclear material or simply ensure that "it is no longer nuclear."

He did not give any further details of what a deal would encompass.

Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Treated In Hospitals In North Korea

A screen grab from a video published on the Telegram account of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in January.
A screen grab from a video published on the Telegram account of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in January.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers are being treated in North Korean hospitals, a Russian diplomat said, comments that provide another glimpse into the scale of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang in the Ukraine war.

In an interview with the state-run Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, provided few details as to how many Russians have been hospitalized in North Korea, nor did he give specifics on casualties or deaths.


"A clear example of the brotherly attitude [between Moscow and Pyongyang] is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers of the [Ukraine war] in Korean sanatoriums and hospitals," he was quoted as saying.

Moscow turned to North Korea for help in its all-out invasion of Ukraine roughly six months after its start in February 2022.

Western intelligence said Russia was buying millions of artillery shells from North Korea -- reports that were backed up by satellite imagery showing reconstruction of railyards, railway bridges, and port facilities along their shared border, on the Pacific Coast.

Last fall, North Korean soldiers began appearing on battlefields along Russia's border, primarily in the Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded in August.

In November, President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership treaty, deepening their economic and political ties.

North Korean POW Captured By Ukraine Told Combat Was 'Training'
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Western and Ukrainian officials have said between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the Kursk region; Ukrainian troops have captured an unknown number of prisoners.

Last month, however, Ukrainian officials reported that North Korean troops had vanished from the front lines in Kursk, apparently due to high casualty rates. It was unclear however if the contingent had been withdrawn entirely or merely rotated out for rest or resupply.

In the interview, Matsegora also said Russia was supplying coal, food, and medical supplies to North Korea, and he said some children of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine had been sent to North Korea for holidays.

Western officials estimate Russian casualties over the nearly three years since it invaded Ukraine at more than 700,000.

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