Excellent that Chancellor Merz speaks the truth straight!NEXTA (@nexta_tv)«Russia has sunk into the deepest barbarism» — German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz said the Russian leadership cannot exist without war, and any negotiations with Putin would lead nowhere.
According to him, the Kremlin must keep its war machine running because it has no plan for hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning from the front.
Merz believes the war will end only when one side is exhausted — militarily or economically. Normalizing relations with Moscow in the near future, he added, is virtually impossible.— https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2024474046604472830
— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) Feb 19, 2026
Day: February 19, 2026
Right, the EU needs to seize the initiative in peace conditions for Ukraine and Russia.
Russia must withdraw troops everywhere & stop bombing Ukraine.
Russia must allow all Ukrainians to return to Ukraine.
Russia must pay war reparations.
Russia should hold democratic elections.Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress)The EU circulated a document demanding that Russia withdraw troops from Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova as part of any Ukraine peace deal.The paper, distributed by EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, also demands nuclear weapons out of Belarus, reparations for war damage, and free elections inside Russia with international monitoring.
One EU diplomat told RFE/RL the list deliberately mirrors Moscow’s own maximalist demands: “We pay back to Russian maximalist demands on Ukraine.”
Brussels still has no seat at the US-pushed Kyiv-Moscow talks.
🔗 euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/…— https://x.com/EuromaidanPress/status/2024440829335474218
— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) Feb 19, 2026
Sweden staunchly supports Ukraine with a massive popular majority.Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa)Today, Sweden has announced its largest defense assistance package for Ukraine — nearly $1.4 billion. This will significantly strengthen our soldiers on the battlefield and help protect our skies from wicked Russian air attacks on critical infrastructure.
Sweden is among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine’s defense capabilities, and this package builds on our historic agreement on Gripen aircraft and broader defense cooperation.
Thank you to @SwedishPM, @PlJonson, the Government, and the people of Sweden for this meaningful contribution to the defense of life.— https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2024529396053221655
— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) Feb 19, 2026
Islamist militants show ‘unprecedented coordination’ in Burkina Faso attacks https://t.co/6pcd9VnX83 https://t.co/6pcd9VnX83
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 19, 2026
Argentine labor reform faces key lower house vote as unions stage nationwide strike https://t.co/V1L6pZGTxC https://t.co/V1L6pZGTxC
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 19, 2026
Donald Trump called Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest ‘a shame’ and ‘so bad for the royal family’ over allegations he sent confidential documents to Jeffrey Epstein while working as a trade envoy https://t.co/z9YWOXmoEb pic.twitter.com/fjjaE7D0FC
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 19, 2026
Britain’s Andrew hands back Norwegian royal order, Norwegian palace says https://t.co/1UuDQikZdt https://t.co/1UuDQikZdt
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 19, 2026