Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says Kyiv will not hold elections until ceasefire in place

Russian troops are forcing Ukrainians to register for Starlink terminals for the Kremlin’s forces shortly after Elon Musk cut their access to his satellite internet network, officials in Kyiv said.

Ukraine’s coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war issued the warning on Tuesday and said families of Ukrainian prisoners are being threatened by Russian forces to enroll for Starlink terminals.

"Looking for a way out of the difficult situation in which they found themselves, the occupiers turned their attention to the families of the prisoners," the body handling prisoners of war said.

"Cases of threats and demands to officially register Starlink terminals have been recorded," it added.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is trying to break the resolve of Ukrainians and he will fail, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said.

In his address ahead of defence minister meeting, the Nato chief said he was in Kyiv last week and saw the impact of Russia’s “relentless attacks” first-hand.

“President Putin is trying to break the people of Ukraine, hoping to weaken their resolve. But Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have shown time and again that they will not be broken,” he said.

Rutte added that Ukraine “cannot sustain this fight or secure the peace alone,” and stressed the importance of allied support through Nato.

Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed Ukraine’s participation in the next round of peace talks and said it has accepted the US invitation.

"(T)he American side has proposed a meeting in America, in Miami, next week. And we immediately confirmed it," Zelensky said.

The talks, however, depend on Russia's agreement to participate, something that Ukraine and the US have not yet received.

"We were waiting for a response from the Russians. So far, as I understand it, Russia is hesitating," Zelensky said.

Earlier, Zelensky had told Bloomberg that negotiations will be hosted by the US and will take place on 17 and 18 February. He added later that a meeting could also take place in Abu Dhabi and Ukraine remains willing to be a part of talks in any location.

The Olympic men's skeleton race begins Thursday, and all eyes at the start will be on Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych.

Will he or won't he?

It's the biggest question in sliding at the Milan Cortina Games.

Heraskevych plans to wear his banned helmet — a tribute to Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed during the war with Russia — in the race, despite the International Olympic Committee saying it violates its rules on political statements and isn't appropriate for competition.

If Heraskevych races with the helmet, he risks sanctions that could go as far as disqualification from the Olympics. And that would put the IOC in a difficult spot, because kicking an athlete out of the Games for paying tribute to those killed in a war would draw tons of criticism.

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv came under a "massive" attack from Russian missiles in the early hours todaay, with various buildings hit in the assault, officials said.

"A mass attack on the capital is still underway," mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Klitschko said there had been hits on both residential and non-residential buildings on both sides of the Dnipro River bisecting the city.

Fragments had fallen near two residential buildings in one district, but no fire had broken out and no casualties were reported.

Emergency medical teams had been dispatched.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said at least one hit had been recorded in an eastern suburb.

The southeastern city of Dnipro also came under attack, regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram. Some private homes and cars sustained damage, but there were no indications of any casualties.

Air raid alerts remained in effect in both Kyiv and Dnipro well after midnight.

Russia has attempted to block Meta's WhatsApp for all users in the country, a company spokesperson said, as Moscow pushes people to use its own home-grown platforms and seeks greater control over the online space.

WhatsApp said the block was part of Russia's efforts to drive users to a "state-owned surveillance app."

"We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected," the company said.

Russia has clashed with foreign tech providers since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, enacting strict rules around online commentary regarding the war and opposing platforms' efforts to keep users' messages private.

Russian authorities are instead pushing a state-backed rival app called "MAX", which critics claim could be used to track users.

The EU parliament has approved a major loan worth €90bn (£78bn) for Ukraine yesterday, extending a financial lifeline to the war-hit nation.

Lawmakers voted by 458 to 140 in favor of the loan which will cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for 2026 and 2027. The loan will be backed by the EU's common budget – after plans to tap frozen Russian central bank assets fell by the wayside.

"Support for Ukraine rests on a small number of countries and most if it comes from Europe," centrist lawmaker Nathalie Loiseau said. "It is our honour – and it's in our interest because our security is at stake," she said.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said conducting elections for war-hit Ukraine is not a good idea as the conditions will make the democratic electoral process extremely difficult.

"Majority of European countries have in their constitution a provision that elections are not held during war," said Kallas. “And why? Because if you have elections, there is always fighting inside between different factions, and when you have outside attacks, literally, then you just can't hold elections because your adversary is outside, and you need to concentrate all the efforts to counter that.”

The top EU official added that Russia does not have an upper hand in the continuing war and is riddled with its own challenges.

"What is important is to know that Russia is not winning this war. The casualty rates are surging. Their economy is not doing well,” she said.

Volodymyr Zelensky has sought a “specific date” from the European Union to formally join the bloc.

"Ukraine will do everything to be technically ready for accession by 2027," Zelensky told journalists when asked about the reported partial membership.

"We will at least accomplish the main steps. Second, I want a specific date. I am absolutely confident that if in the agreement... there is no date, then Russia will do everything to block the process."

Earlier, a European Commission spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent that the EU considers Ukraine's accession efforts part of the ongoing peace process, but possible entry dates are not yet speculated.

Zelensky said he would not sign a peace agreement with the US, Russia, and Europe if the agreement did not include a specific date for Ukraine's EU accession.

“This... is about security guarantees, security guarantees for Ukraine," he said.

"These are specific details, with a specific date. And my signature today, on the 20-point plan, the plan to end the war, guarantees Ukrainians that there will be a specific date for our accession,” he said.