Busy Schedule Ahead as Truss, Normandy Format Talks Begin

LOCAL NEWS

• UK’s Truss arrives in Moscow last night ahead of talks with Lavrov on regional security today (0800GMT, presser 0900GMT).
  • Yesterday’s FM Zakharova said both sides would be discussing legally binding security guarantees and EU security. Zakharova also said Russia will not be attending the Munich security conference (18-20 Feb) – Tass
• FM Zakharova says the US has made it clear that it wants to revise the Minsk agreements following calls from Blinken to conduct “appropriate sequencing”, even though that risks collapsing the peace process in Ukraine. Zakharova says this merely encourages Kiev to engage in more tensions - Tass
• Ahead of Normandy format talks today, Russian Ambassador says Germany, France should compel Ukraine to implement the Minsk agreements as there is no alternative and the current efforts have been insufficient.
  • Says Russia also hears outlandish comments from Kiev that the Minsk process is dead and that there will never be a negotiated special status for the Donbass – Tass
• US senators are considering imposing sanctions against Russia, as they believe, for cyber attacks on Ukraine, as well as the possibility of additional assistance to Kiev in the field of cybersecurity, Politico reports.
• As Belarus military drills begin today, Russia has issued warnings that it will close off Ukraine’s coastline for upcoming missile drills next week (13-18 Feb), a Ukrainian think tank said Wednesday as several Russian warships arrived in the Black Sea. These appear to be the most large-scale closures in the past eight years - AFP