Zelensky to hold election and war referendum, per report
In a major political pivot, Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly plans to hold presidential elections alongside a referendum on any peace agreement with Russia. The move comes after mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has signaled that the US security guarantees to Ukraine are contingent on Zelensky holding the votes by mid-May. The Ukrainian leader has long maintained that Ukraine can’t hold a credible vote while under martial law. Zelensky will reportedly announce the election plans on Feb. 24, on what will be the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. So far, there is no indication that any peace deal is close. Zelensky, while still popular, has seen his approval ratings drop amid a corruption scandal involving his closest aides. The US’s insistence on a presidential election may indicate an underlying belief on Trump’s part that Zelensky might lose, and raises a stark question: does Trump want Zelensky out?
Netanyahu wants Trump to get more concessions from Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming to the White House again today, this time to discuss next steps on Iran. Trump has been increasingly threatening strikes on the Islamic Republic if it doesn’t make a deal on its nuclear capacity. But Netanyahu wants more than that. He will reportedly urge the US president to demand that Iran limit its ballistic missile program, believing that this is a more urgent threat to Israel. If that fails, the Israeli leader wants to encourage Trump to approve another military campaign aimed at the missile sites. The US president, for his part, threatened to deploy a second aircraft carrier to the region yesterday.
Russia suspends Cuba flights as Trump’s chokehold tightens
Jet fuel shortages in Havana have forced Russian carriers to cancel flights to the island, a favorite destination for Russian tourists. The move comes a day after Cuban authorities warned that a US-led oil blockade – effectively in place since Washington toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and stopped his country’s oil exports to Cuba – was causing fuel to run out. Moscow, which has supported its Soviet-era ally as best it can with economic and military aid in recent years, warned the US to stop “suffocating” Cuba, where mismanagement, longstanding US sanctions, and corruption have led to dire shortages and regular blackouts in recent years. But as with Venezuela, it’s not clear how much Russia is able – or willing – to do to save a far-flung ally that is now in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. What does Trump want from Cuba? See our recent report here.
