The Aftermath: By leaving early, the U.S. has signaled that the "14-day ceasefire" is now essentially a countdown clock for a massive military escalation. The "negotiation" phase is over; the "enforcement" phase begins.
Kyiv lays out $750bn ‘recovery plan’Reconstructing Ukraine is expected to cost $750bn, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said, adding that seized Russian assets should be used pay for the recovery.President Vladimir Putin congratulates Russian troops on “liberating” the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia will respond in kind to Bulgaria’s expulsion of 70 Russian diplomatsLuhansk governor says Russia will shift the focus of its war in Ukraine to trying to seize all of the Donetsk region after capturing LuhanskUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledges to retake lost territory, including the city of Lysychansk after Russia claimed full control of the Luhansk region.
Israel said it launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran in coordination with the United States on Saturday (Feb 28), pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West. Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, and sirens sounded across Israel at around 8.15am local time in what the military said was a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike. The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and the airports authority asked the public not to go to any of the count