This week, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz won early parliamentary elections in Germany, the United Kingdom provided Ukraine with its largest aid package, and President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the US leader Donald Trump.
Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.
Friedrich Merz to become new Chancellor of Germany
The Christian Democratic Union led by Friedrich Merz won Germanyʼs snap parliamentary elections. Voter turnout in this yearʼs vote reached 84%, the countryʼs highest since 1990.
CDU won with 28.5% of the vote. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) led by Alice Weidel came in second with 20.8%. The Social Democratic Party of Germany, led by current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, came in third with 16.4% of the vote.
Merz has met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine several times since 2022. The politician supports providing humanitarian and military aid to Kyiv. In addition, Merz wants to allow the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Britain provides Ukraine with the largest aid package and imposes the most extensive sanctions against Russia
London is providing Kyiv with the largest aid package of £4.5 billion ($5.67 billion). Prime Minister Keir Starmer also reported the largest package of sanctions against Russia. He added that he would discuss this at the G7 meeting.
The restrictions were later revealed to target the Russian militaryʼs supply chains, the revenues that fuel the war, and the kleptocrats that benefit Moscow. Sanctions are being imposed on 107 companies and individuals.
Also under sanctions were North Korean Defense Minister Noh Kwan Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials involved in the deployment of more than 11 000 North Korean troops in Russia.
The UN General Assembly supported both resolutions on the war in Ukraine
The UN General Assembly on February 24 supported a resolution initiated by Ukraine and European countries. 93 countries voted in favour. 18 countries voted against, including the United States, Russia, and Belarus. Another 65 UN member states abstained, including China. The document calls Russia an aggressor country and demands that it withdraw its troops from Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
The UN General Assembly also supported the American resolution on the war. 93 countries voted pro, 8 — against, and 73 — abstained. The original text of the document did not call Russia an aggressor, nor did it call on Moscow to withdraw its army from the occupied territories.
The document was amended to replace the words “conflict” with “full-scale invasion”, and the clause “lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation” with “a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states”. The United States abstained from voting on its own resolution.
The government approved the agreement between Ukraine and the United States on minerals
On February 26, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the signing of an agreement between Kyiv and Washington on mineral extraction. This document consisted of six key positions:
- Ukraine and the United States were to create a Reconstruction Investment Fund. It was a joint property that would be jointly managed by the governments of both countries.
- Ukraineʼs subsoil and resources were to remain Ukrainian, not transferred to the ownership of the United States or anyone else.
- Ukraine was to contribute 50% of future revenues from its minerals to the Fund.
- The United States pledged to contribute to the Fund in the form of funds, financial instruments, and other assets critical to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
- The funds raised by the Fund were intended to be invested exclusively in projects to rebuild Ukraine. In fact, it was a Fund for future generations of Ukrainians.
- The agreement took into account Kyivʼs obligations within the European integration process. That is, it did not conflict with Ukraineʼs European integration obligations.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the parties had agreed on the arrangements.
"The agreement does not have $500 billion in debt, or $350 billion, or $100 billion. That would be unfair to us. If we are talking about the fund, that is also a resolved issue in this framework agreement, so I believe that there are partners there," he said.
Trump convenes first US Cabinet meeting
On February 26, the US President Donald Trump convened his first Cabinet meeting, at which he spoke about security guarantees for Ukraine, the countryʼs accession to NATO, and Washingtonʼs relations with Russia.
Trump said that Washington is not going to provide Ukraine with "too many" security guarantees. Trump is convinced that Europe should provide support to Kyiv. This is in the interests of the region, because European countries are Ukraineʼs neighbours.
Ukraine "should forget about NATO membership". According to the American leader, this is the reason for the start of the war with Russia. Putin will also be forced to make concessions for the sake of establishing peace.
Britain ready to send ground and air forces for peace in Ukraine
The United Kingdom has declared its readiness to send its ground troops and air force to Ukraine to achieve peace.
"Britain is ready to ʼput its boots on the ground and its planes in the airʼ to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He agreed with Trumpʼs position that Europe should increase defense spending. Starmer said that Britain and the United States "work side by side" for security.
"We are taking on a greater responsibility for security. I am working closely with other Europeans on this, and I am clear that the United Kingdom is prepared to send its troops and its aircraft to support the [peace] agreement, working together with our allies. Because that is the only way that peace will last," the British official stressed.
Zelensky and Trump meet in the Oval Office
On February 28, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump met at the White House for the first time since Trumpʼs victory in the US presidential election. They were to sign an agreement on rare earths.
During the conversation, Trump and Zelensky argued and took on a raised tone. It all started with the Ukrainian leaderʼs words about the need to provide Kyiv with security guarantees and actively include the state in the negotiations.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Zelensky stressed that the cessation of hostilities proposed by the United States is not a solution. Ukraine will never accept a ceasefire without security guarantees, because Russia has violated such truces 25 times, the president said.
After the conversation, Trump said that Zelensky was not ready for peace if Washington was involved in this matter. The Ukrainian leader left the White House early. Later, Fox News reported that the signing of the agreement on rare earth metals was also canceled.
In an interview with the media, Volodymyr Zelensky said that, in his opinion, relations with the American president can be restored, because they are "historical".
Massive Russian attack on the night of March 1
On the night of March 1, the Russians launched 154 drones over Ukraine. The Air Defense shot down 103 enemy drones, and another 51 were lost in the field.
UAVs were shot down in Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kherson, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions.
The Odesa district was particularly hit. Falling debris set a house, a business, and cars on fire. One person died and another was injured.
Kharkiv was also massively attacked. 7 people were injured in the shelling. More than 60 patients were evacuated from the medical facility hit by the Russians. Glass was also broken in a high-rise building, and a car dealership and a hypermarket were damaged.
World leadersʼ summit in the UK on the war in Ukraine
A summit of European and world leaders on Ukraine was held at Lancaster House in London on March 2. They discussed the defense of the state and all of Europe from Russia in the context of the new US political course.
The event was attended by representatives from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada, Turkey, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Romania. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended.
Kancelaria Premiera / X
Before the summit, Volodymyr Zelensky met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — they discussed a joint action plan to end the war in Ukraine and establish a "sustainable peace".
The meeting of the allies was held in a closed format. Keir Starmer later announced a joint decision to continue military aid to Ukraine and increase economic pressure on Russia. The countries will also insist that Kyiv must be present at the negotiating table.
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