Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy says ceasefire must precede vote

DW News · Feb 11, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Skip next section Closing summaryFebruary 12, 2026Closing summaryUkraine will hold elections only once it has security guarantees in place and a ceasefire with Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, pushing back at suggestions he is planning to stage fresh ballots under US pressure. "We will move to elections when all the necessary security guarantees are in place," Zelensky told reporters in a voice note. "I have said it's very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections," he said. Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed four civilians on Wednesday in different localities in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the regional governor said. https://p.dw.com/p/58YrJSkip next section EU's Kallas: Discussing several bases where Ukrainian troops could trainFebruary 11, 2026EU's Kallas: Discussing several bases where Ukrainian troops could trainUkrainian troops have come to European countries, including Germany, for training in recent years, particularly on how to operate new Western equipmentImage: Vladimir Esipov/DWThe EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels that the bloc was considering the use of several bases for possible training of Ukrainian troops. "We have been discussing the training of the Ukrianian soldiers, also on the soil of Ukraine," Kallas said at the meeeting. "We have identified two training centers that could be used for that purpose," she said, without elaborating. The EU has said that it could start training Ukrainian forces in their homeland as part of Western security guarantees under any potential agreement to end Russia's full-scale invasion of nearly four years now. The 27-nation bloc has already helped train some 90,000 Ukrainian soldiers on EU soil, including in Germany, as part of a joint European program. Several of Ukraine's European backers, including the UK and France, have expressed a theoretical willingness to send troops to Ukraine if efforts led by the United States can end the conflict and if such action is desired as part of an agreement. So far, however, Russia has said that it would not accept troops from NATO countries deploying on Ukrainian soil. https://p.dw.com/p/58YHuSkip next section Zelenskyy: Security guarantees, ceasefire necessary prior to electionsFebruary 11, 2026Zelenskyy: Security guarantees, ceasefire necessary prior to electionsPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday pushed back against a Financial Times report on him potentially announcing elections on the anniversary of Russia's invasion later this month. He said that the required conditions for elections had not changed. "We will move to elections when all the necessary security guarantees are in place," Zelenskyy told reporters via WhatsApp. "I have said it's very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections." While this did not explicitly refute the notion of an election announcement later in February, the idea of having arranged a ceasefire satisfactory to both Ukraine and Russia in less than two weeks after almost four years of open war appears far-fetched. Mid-level negotiations did take place in the Middle East last week, but at least based on their public statements, the various stakeholders still seemed rather far apart. https://p.dw.com/p/58YQOSkip next section German FM presses Central Asia on Russia sanctions evasionFebruary 11, 2026German FM presses Central Asia on Russia sanctions evasionForeign ministers and deputy foreign ministers and an EU special representative for Central Asia gathered in Berlin on WednesdayImage: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo/picture allianceGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on his Central Asian counterparts to crack down harder on businesses circumventing Russian sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Wadephul was speaking at a gathering of his counterparts from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in Berlin. "Attempts to circumvent these sanctions support Russia's war of aggression and thus directly threaten the security interests of the European Union," Wadephul said. He asked the assembled ministers "to intensify their efforts in the fight against sanctions evasion and to coordinate closely with the European Union." The European Commission is primarily targeting Kyrgyzstan, with possible EU sanctions against the country on the table. However, the German government has not yet taken a clear position on whether it would support such action Johann Wadephul also recently visited China and Oceania but was back in Berlin this week as host rather than guestImage: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo/picture alliance The Christian Democrat acknowledged that Central Asian former Soviet states faced a difficult balancing act, sandwiched as they are between the Russian Federation and China while being located far from European and other Western markets. However, he argued that Moscow's aggressive behavior towards a neighbor in what President Vladimir Putin likes to refer to as Russia's sphere of influence should also be ringing alarm bells elsewhere. He said that the invasion showed that Moscow's "neo-imperial behavior threatens the security order in the region and is also a danger to its neighbors." He touted German and EU efforts to expand economic cooperation with the region, including on critical raw materials and rare earths, also saying that increased cooperation in the agricultural sector was being discussed. https://p.dw.com/p/58YCbSkip next section European aid to Ukraine increased in 2025 — reportFebruary 11, 2026European aid to Ukraine increased in 2025 — reportAccording to an analysis published by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the European Union significantly increased its aid to war-torn Ukraine last year. The report said that, adjusted for inflation, European military aid was 67% higher than the average for the years 2022 to 2024. At the same time, financial and humanitarian aid increased by 59%. Although the EU provided more aid than in previous years, Ukraine received less overall support in 2025 because the US was absent as a significant donor, according to the German institute's Ukraine Support Tracker. Therefore, total military aid was 13% below the three-year average, while financial and humanitarian aid was around 5% lower. The EU provided nearly 90% of the financial and humanitarian aid, amounting to €35.1 billion (approximately $42 billion). https://p.dw.com/p/58XqhSkip next section Ukraine says its drones hit Lukoil oil refinery in RussiaFebruary 11, 2026Ukraine says its drones hit Lukoil oil refinery in RussiaUkraine's General Staff announced that Ukrainian drones struck a Lukoil oil refinery in the southern Russian region of Volgograd overnight. The attack caused a fire at the facility, according to a statement from the General Staff. The governor of the Russian region, Andrei Bocharov, confirmed attacks "on energy and civilian infrastructure." Russia has launched relentless attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter. In response, Ukraine has launched counterattacks. https://p.dw.com/p/58We8Skip next section Zelenskyy says security issues are key priority for UkraineFebruary 11, 2026Zelenskyy says security issues are key priority for UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine demonstrate that security is Kyiv's key concern and that all other issues must be addressed alongside it. "As long as Russia continues to ​kill people and destroy our infrastructure, ⁠there ​will ​not be sufficient ​public trust ‌even in active diplomacy," ​Zelenskyy ⁠wrote on X. He stressed that this is important for all of Ukraine's partners, both in the United States and in Europe, to understand. "I expect Ukrainian diplomats to effectively convey this position on security to our partners and to fully inform all of our partners about the real situation in Ukraine’s regions," Zelenskyy added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that on February 24, Zelenskyy plans to announce preparations for presidential elections and a peace referendum in the spring. https://p.dw.com/p/58WVkSkip next section EU Parliament approves €90 billion loan for UkraineFebruary 11, 2026EU Parliament approves €90 billion loan for UkraineThe European Parliament approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, providing a financial lifeline to Kyiv as Ukraine approaches four years since Russia's full-scale invasion. Lawmakers voted 458 to 140 in favor of the loan, which is intended to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for 2026 and 2027. The loan is backed by the EU's common budget after plans to use frozen Russian central bank assets were abandoned. Ukraine will be able to use €60 billion from the loan to purchase the weapons, while the remaining funds are earmarked for general budget support. The EU has stated that Ukraine will only need to repay the funds once Moscow compensates Ukraine for the damages. Brussels will cover the expected annual interest costs through the EU budget.Ukraine to receive EU's €90 billion loan despite setbacksTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/58VniSkip next section Heraskevych should accept helmet ban, German Olympic chief saysFebruary 11, 2026 Heraskevych should accept helmet ban, German Olympic chief saysHeraskevych is regarded as having a good chance to win a medal at the 2026 Olympic GamesImage: Franck Fife/AFPThomas Weikert, president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), has said Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych should accept the rules in his "helmet of memory" dispute with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "If you fight and play based on rules then you also have to obey the rules. That's why I would recommend to him not to break the rules," Weikert said. He added that it would be smarter for the athlete to express hi