Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.
February 26, 2024 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Kathleen Magramo, Antoinette Radford, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN
Updated 12:15 a.m. ET, February 27, 2024
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Swedish prime minister says Russia will not like their accession to NATO
From CNN's Lauren Kent and Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou in London
Sweden can expect that Russia will "not like" the country's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday.
"As for Russia, the only thing we can safely expect is that they do not like Sweden becoming a NATO member. They didn't like Finland becoming a NATO member either," Kristersson said at a news conference in Stockholm, highlighting that Russia's ambitions to limit NATO expansion have backfired.
Kristersson also noted the historic nature of his country's ascension into the alliance.
"Sweden is leaving behind 200 years of neutrality and non-alignment. It's a big step and something to take seriously but it is also a very natural step that we take. Membership in NATO means that we now come home to a large number of democracies' cooperation for peace and freedom. A very successful cooperation," Kristersson said.
Earlier on Monday, Hungary's parliament approved Sweden's bid to join NATO, clearing the last hurdle for the country to become the 32nd member of the military alliance.
Sweden's NATO accession will strengthen alliance, Zelensky says
From CNN’s Mariya Knight and Yulia Kesaieva
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the Hungarian parliament's vote to approve Sweden's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership on Monday.
"This is a historic day for Sweden and Euro-Atlantic security. Congratulations to @SwedishPM Ulf Kristersson and all Swedes. Sweden's accession will undoubtedly strengthen the Alliance, particularly in light of the Russian threat to the free world,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Ukraine is looking forward “to working closely with Sweden and other NATO allies to advance Ukraine's NATO membership."
More background: A decision to admit Ukraine would extend the sacred NATO pledge that an attack on one member is an attack on all to a nation Russia regards, at a minimum, as part of its sphere of influence — even if such a claim has no basis in international law. It would commit future Western leaders to go to war with nuclear-armed Russia and potentially risk a third World War if the Kremlin attacked its neighbor again.
French president says sending troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out
From CNN's Amy Cassidy
Sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out," French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday after hosting a conference in Paris where European leaders discussed the prospect.
There was “no agreement this evening to officially send troops onto the ground but we cannot exclude anything,” he told reporters.
The aid conference for Ukraine brought together representatives of the European Union’s 27 member countries including 21 heads of state and governments, he said.
“We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war,” Macron said. “And I say this with determination, but also with a collective humility that we need to have, in the light of the last two years."
“The people that said 'never ever' today were the same ones who said never ever planes, never ever long-range missiles, never ever trucks. They said all that two years ago. A lot around this table said that 'we will offer helmets and sleeping bags,' and now they are saying we need to do more to get missiles and tanks. We have to be humble and realize that we (have) always been six to eight months late," Macron said.
Macron also announced a new coalition would be set up to supply medium and long-range “missiles and bombs” to Ukraine. EU leaders and government representatives “decided to step up the munitions side and produce tangible results very quickly” across the eight coalitions that already exist, he said.
Navalny's aides say he was going to be part of a prisoner swap before his death. Here are the top headlines
From CNN staff
Ukraine's president is warning that "millions" could die in his country's war with Russia without aid from the United States. It comes as Ukrainian forces have retreated from a village in the eastern Donetsk region, near a key city where Russia claimed victory last week.
Meanwhile, aides for Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny say he was due to be part of a prisoner exchange before he died in an Arctic penal colony. A Western official, however, said there was no official offer on the table.
Here are the top headlines:
- On the front lines: Ukrainian forces have retreated from the village of Lastochkyne in the eastern Donetsk region, both sides confirmed on Monday. Russian forces are intensifying attacks and continuing to push west. Lastochkyne is located near Avdiivka, where Russia raised its flag on February 18.
- Fighting elsewhere: In other parts of the country, at least four people have died and six others wounded in Russian attacks over the past two days, Ukrainian authorities said. Two were killed in Sumy, another two were killed in southern Kherson. In Russia, at least three people were killed and three others were injured after a drone strike hit a car with civilians in a village in the Belgorod region, the regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
- Marking annexation of Crimea: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 as the beginning of Moscow's aggression toward Kyiv. He said that is where Russia "must suffer its key defeat" in the war and that Ukraine is working “to achieve the necessary results in the sky and on the ground in Crimea.”
- Push for US aid: Zelensky is warning that “millions” could die in the war with Russia if US lawmakers don’t approve President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid request for Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader also said former US President Donald Trump doesn't understand Russian President Vladimir "Putin will never stop."
- Prisoner exchange: An aide for Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said Monday they “achieved a decision on his exchange” in a prisoner swap while he was still alive and imprisoned in a penal colony. A Western official confirmed that early discussions of a prisoner exchange were underway, but said no formal offer had been made before his death. The US State Department would not comment on the reports. A public farewell to Navalny is expected at the end of this working week, spokesperson Kira Yarmish said in a post on social network X on Monday.
- Sweden joins NATO: Hungary's parliament on Monday approved Sweden's bid to join NATO, clearing the last hurdle for the country to become the 32nd member of the US-led military alliance. Sweden applied to be a NATO member in May 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
3 killed after drone strike hits civilian car in Belgorod region, governor says
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
At least three people were killed and three others were injured after a drone strike hit a car with civilians in the village of Pochaevo, in Russia's Belgorod region, the regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Monday.
Gladkov blamed Ukrainian armed forces on the strike.
Gladkov said in a Telegram post that the people in the car at the moment of the strike were local construction workers.
Three men “died from their wounds as a result of the explosion” following the strike and another three people were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, he said.
Earlier on Monday, the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the Belgorod region "came under mortar fire from the Ukrainian armed forces," Gladkov said.
Two children aged 10 and 11 were injured and taken to the local hospital as a result, according to Gladkov.
CNN cannot independently verify the casualties.
US State Department not commenting on reports of Navalny prisoner swap
From CNN's Michael Conte and Jennifer Hansler
The US State Department would not comment on reports of a potential prisoner swap with Russia for the release of Alexey Navalny.
"I’m not going to speak to either internal deliberations or our work to secure the release of people held overseas," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. "We had long called for Alexei Navalny’s release."
Miller would not say whether such a deal would have included Paul Whelan or Evan Gershkovich — Americans detained in Russia.
"I’m just not going to speak to our conversations with any of our diplomatic partners about the work that we do to try to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans or others held around the world," said Miller.
CNN reported earlier that there were early discussions underway involving a prisoner exchange for Navalny and US citizens, a Western official told CNN on Monday — but no formal offer had been made prior to Navalny’s death.
Zelensky says Russia "must suffer its key defeat" in Crimea
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Ukraine's president pointed to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 as the beginning of Moscow's aggression toward Kyiv.
Marking the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the day Russia occupied the peninsula 10 years ago was the day "the future fate of international security and international relations was determined."
"It all started with Crimea — this Russian revanchism, this Russian war. And it is there, in Crimea, that Russian evil must suffer its key defeat,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine has "already achieved significant results in the Black Sea” and is working “to achieve the necessary results in the sky and on the ground in Crimea.”
He also thanked Ukraine's partners and noted that everything they “do together for the defense against Russian aggression adds real security” to their nations “for decades to come.”
Hungary's parliament approves Sweden's bid to join NATO
From CNN's Lauren Kent and Joshua Berlinger
Hungary's parliament on Monday approved Sweden's bid to join NATO, clearing the last hurdle for the country to become the 32nd member of the US-led military alliance.
The vote passed with 188 members of parliament in favor and six against. In total, 194 members voted. Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said on Monday that he is sure Sweden will be "a strong and reliable ally" who will benefit the NATO alliance.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson celebrated the vote.
"Today is a historic day. The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favour of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security," Kristersson said in a social media post.
Sweden applied to be a NATO member in May 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the vote, and said, "Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer."
With Sweden’s accession, NATO will count 32 countries among its members, an ironic twist given that Russia launched its war against Ukraine in part due to the alliance’s growth in Eastern Europe along Russia’s border.
CNN's Stephanie Halasz contributed reporting to this post.
