For today, links to eleven reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to commentary via the Moscow Times; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and LEBANON entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. UKRAINE 2-12-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM
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Peskov says peace talk preparations have started following Trump-Putin call, by Leo Chiu | Kyiv Post Dmitry Peskov, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, said preparations for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have already begun after Wednesday’s phone call between US President Donald Trump and Putin. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independant and Tass.
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NATO allies insist Ukraine and Europe must be in peace talks as Trump touts Putin meeting, by Lorne Cook | AP BRUSSELS — Several NATO allies stressed today that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace negotiations as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the United States is betraying the war-ravaged country. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for a second report from AP.
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FROM FEB. 12 Trump says he will meet Putin to start talks to end the war in Ukraine. Reported by Danielle Kurtzleben, Teri Schultz, Joanna Kakissis, Charles Maynes and Willem Marx | NPR President Trump says he will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after holding separate phone calls with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday to kick off talks to end almost three years of war. The governments of Russia and Ukraine each confirmed . . . Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.
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Trump has called for talks to end the war in Ukraine. Is a durable peace coming? Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the prospects of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. President Trump says peace talks should start to end it. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for another NPR report.
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Trump says he back Ukraine, but early concessions to Russia spark concerns, by Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk and John Irish | Reuters WASHINGTON / PARIS — U.S. President Donald Trump has promised a swift end to the Ukraine war but with talks about to begin the author of “The Art of the Deal” may have already complicated his task by sacrificing leverage. READ MORE . . .
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Putin won’t settle for less than a U.S. betrayal of Ukraine, by Sergey Radchenko | The Moscow Times The Russian readout of Wednesday’s phone call claimed that Putin “supported” Trump’s view that “the time has come for our two countries to work together.” READ MORE . . .