UK defence secretary John Healey has expressed his hopes to be the first minister to deploy British troops to Ukraine in a bid to end the ongoing conflict.
Writing ahead of the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion he said “2026 must be the year this terrible war ends” in the Telegraph on Sunday.
“I want to be the defence secretary who deploys British troops to Ukraine – because this will mean that this war is finally over,” Mr Healey said.
“It will mean we have negotiated peace in Ukraine. And a secure Europe needs a strong, sovereign Ukraine.”
He added: “I am proud of our UK leadership. I am determined that we will make 2026 the year this war ends.”
The comments come after former prime minister Boris Johnson said the UK should send non-combat troops to Ukraine immediately and had been “too slow” to respond to Putin’s aggression.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg alongside the former head of the military, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the former PM said: "We've always delayed needlessly.
"We've then ended up giving the Ukrainians what they have been asking for, and actually it's always served to their advantage and to the disadvantage of Putin. I mean, the one person who suffers from escalation is Putin.”
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Ukraine says it hit missile plant deep inside Russia
Ukraine has said it struck a major Russian missile production site more than 1,400km from its border, in one of the deepest reported attacks inside Russia since the start of the invasion.
Local health minister Sergei Bagin said 11 people were injured in the Udmurt Republic, with three taken to hospital. Regional head Alexander Brechalov confirmed damage to a facility but did not name it.
Ukraine’s General Staff later identified the target as the Votkinsk machine building plant, describing it as part of Russia’s military-industrial complex and saying a fire broke out on the premises.
The factory manufactures Iskander ballistic missiles and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Shahana Yasmin22 February 2026 04:15
Special report: The only place to hide from Putin’s killer drones is our underground school
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station captured by Russia is a staging post for “hunting” trips against civilians.
Acting as a base for artillery within mortar range and a nearby drone pilot school, it looms so close to the city of Nikopol that one could almost pat the plant’s unstable nuclear domes.
Nikopol, still held by Ukraine, has seen its population halve to 50,000 since the war began. About 6,500 of those still living here are children.
Lying right on the front line, the city has been attacked every day for the last four years. Roads in are a gamble and gauntlet, a race along icy roads, in hope of avoiding an attack or a freezing crash.
The Independent’s world affairs editor reports from Zaporizhzhia:
‘The only place to hide from Putin’s killer drones is our underground school’
In a harrowing dispatch from the frontline city of Nikopol – so close to Russian forces that few journalists have ventured there – World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley talks to children, parents and teachers who are hunted down daily by Putin’s deadly quadcopters, yet have somehow managed to survive Maira Butt22 February 2026 04:00
Ukraine accuses Hungary and Slovakia of ‘blackmail’ over power threat
Ukraine has accused Hungary and Slovakia of “ultimatums and blackmail” after both governments threatened to halt emergency electricity supplies unless Kyiv restores Russian oil transit across its territory.
Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, said he would ask the state grid operator to cut emergency exports within two days if flows were not resumed. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán issued a similar warning earlier this week.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement that these actions were “provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region”.
Russian oil deliveries to both countries via the Druzhba pipeline have been disrupted since 27 January, after Kyiv said a Russian drone strike damaged pipeline infrastructure in western Ukraine.
Bratislava and Budapest blame Ukraine for the prolonged outage.
Hungary and Slovakia together account for roughly half of European emergency electricity exports to Ukraine, which has relied heavily on imports as Russian missile and drone attacks have repeatedly damaged its energy grid.
Shahana Yasmin22 February 2026 03:45
Boris Johnson calls for immediate deployment of Western troops
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has called for the immediate deployment of non-combat military personnel from the UK and its allies to Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of the four-year anniversary of the invasion, the former politician told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Ukraine’s allies had been “too slow” to respond.
“We've always delayed needlessly,” he said. “We've then ended up giving the Ukrainians what they have been asking for, and actually it's always served to their advantage and to the disadvantage of Putin. I mean, the one person who suffers from escalation is Putin.”
Military strategists have suggested that such a move could be interpreted by Russia as an escalation. Russian president Vladimir Putin has previously said that Russia is “ready right now” for war if Europe wants it.
The UK ministry of defence has said in response that it is planning for such a peacekeeping force under a “coalition of the willing,” in the event of a ceasefire.
Shahana Yasmin22 February 2026 03:30
ICYMI: Hungary says it will block a key EU loan to Ukraine until Russian oil shipments resume
Hungary says it will block a key EU loan to Ukraine until Russian oil shipments resume
Hungary says it is blocking a major EU loan for Ukraine until Russian oil starts flowing again through the Druzhba pipelineShahana Yasmin22 February 2026 03:16
Zelensky provides update on Nato discussions
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky provided an update on discussions with Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte on Saturday.
He shared that trilateral negotiations with the US and Russia had been discussed as well as the ongoing energy situation in Ukraine.
“We touched base on all key aspects of our diplomatic work, and I’m glad that, in many areas, our views align,” he wrote in a post on X.
“I shared updates on preparations for the next trilateral format with the United States and Russia, as well as what we know about possible shifts in the parties’ positions.
“We also discussed the energy situation and the need to continue work under the PURL initiative. I am grateful to every European country that invests in our defence through PURL. Thank you, Mark, for your support!”
Maira Butt22 February 2026 03:00
Ukraine returns two more children from Russian occupation, authorities say
Ukrainian forces have returned two more children from the Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, bringing the total of freed children from the region to 31 this year, authorities said
The head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported the children were returned under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which finds and returns Ukrainian children from occupied territories and Russia.
Maira Butt22 February 2026 02:00
UK will ‘make 2026 the year war ends’ says defence secretary
UK defence secretary John Healey has expressed his hopes to be the first minister to deploy British troops to Ukraine in a bid to end the ongoing conflict.
Writing ahead of the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion he said “2026 must be the year this terrible war ends” in the Telegraph on Sunday.
“I want to be the defence secretary who deploys British troops to Ukraine – because this will mean that this war is finally over,” Mr Healey said.
“It will mean we have negotiated peace in Ukraine. And a secure Europe needs a strong, sovereign Ukraine.”
He added: “I am proud of our UK leadership. I am determined that we will make 2026 the year this war ends.”
Joe Middleton22 February 2026 01:20
Hungary says it will block a key EU loan to Ukraine until Russian oil shipments resume
Hungary will block a planned 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) European Union loan to Ukraine until the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline resumes, Hungary's foreign minister said.
Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since Jan. 27, after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.
Hungary and Slovakia, which have both received a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine — without providing evidence — of deliberately holding up supplies.
Hungary says it will block a key EU loan to Ukraine until Russian oil shipments resume
Hungary says it is blocking a major EU loan for Ukraine until Russian oil starts flowing again through the Druzhba pipelineMaira Butt22 February 2026 01:00
Ukraine frontline mapped: Kyiv counteroffensive regained territory before fruitless US peace talks
Ukraine headed into the third round of direct talks with Russia and US mediators this week following a string of symbolic victories on the frontlines.
Two days of talks concluded abruptly on Wednesday, following lengthy discussions over territory the day before. Kyiv hailed progress in talks, though acknowledged that the two sides were still opposed on key issues.
There has been little progress in the talks to date, with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky recently sharing his frustration that his country is “too often” asked to make concessions – as Moscow sticks to its maximalist demands.
With land still central to diplomacy, Ukrainian negotiators headed for Geneva this week emboldened by recent territorial gains on the battlefield.
Ukraine counteroffensive mapped: Kyiv regains territory before fruitless peace talks
Diplomats for Russia and Ukraine have been sitting down for US-brokered peace talks in Geneva – the most recent ended after just two hoursMaira Butt22 February 2026 00:01NewerOlder