Zelenskyy's visits to Türkiye and UAE, new military aid from Germany - Monday brief

Russia's war against Ukraine

• Ukraine's drones disable Russia's largest oil pumping station;
• Sweden states condition for sending peacekeepers to Ukraine;
• Russia strikes Ukraine with 147 drones overnight: Air defense's work reported;

US Secretary of State Rubio arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian officials

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of expected negotiations with Russian officials aimed at ending Russia’s nearly three-year war against Ukraine, reports Reuters.

The talks will begin after President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin last week and instructed senior officials to initiate negotiations on the war, which he has repeatedly promised to end during his presidential campaign.

The February 18 negotiations will be among the first high-level, in-person discussions between Russian and US officials in years and are expected to precede a potential meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

Missiles for IRIS-T, artillery, and more: Germany provides Ukraine with aid package

Germany has delivered a new batch of military aid to Ukraine, including missiles for IRIS-T air defense systems and Zuzana 2 artillery systems, according to the press service of the German government.

According to the German government, Ukraine has received the following military aid from Germany:

• 56 MRAP vehicles
• Ammunition for the Leopard 1 main battle tank
• Ammunition for Marder infantry fighting vehicles
• 41,000 rounds of ammunition for Gepard air defense systems (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks)
• Missiles for IRIS-T SLM air defense systems
• Missiles for IRIS-T SLS air defense systems
• 4 Zuzana 2 wheeled self-propelled howitzers
• 50,000 155mm shells (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks)

Ukraine is unaware of Saudi Arabia talks and not to recognize them – Zelenskyy

The Ukrainian leader announced his meeting with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on social media and posted a video.

An important economic agreement was also signed between Ukraine and the UAE. The document liberalizes access to the UAE market for almost all Ukrainian goods. The president said it would be easier for Ukrainian companies to sell their products in the UAE.

US proposes to send peacekeepers from Brazil and China to Ukraine - The Economist

The United States wants peace in Ukraine after the ceasefire to be ensured not only by the European military. In particular, they propose to involve peacekeepers from China and Brazil, The Economist reports.

US Vice President J.D. Vance allegedly told European allies that a European contingent alone would be less effective in deterring Russia from new attacks.

Zelenskyy arrives in Türkiye and outlines his plans for the visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye today, February 17. He is set to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to the Ukrainian head of state on Facebook.

As Zelenskyy noted, he arrived in Türkiye together with First Lady Olena Zelenska.

"Prisoner exchanges – all efforts will continue to bring our people home. Food security. The First Lady’s educational and cultural diplomacy," Zelenskyy added.

Zelenskyy names condition for signing deal on rare earths with US

Ukraine is interested in signing a minerals agreement with the United States. However, the document does not currently contain any security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an online press conference from Abu Dhabi.

“We are really interested in signing an agreement with the United States. I also told President Trump about this: Ukraine wants to sign the agreement. But when we got down to the details, it turned out that it does not currently contain security guarantees. And this is a fundamentally important aspect that should at least be outlined in the memorandum,” the president said.