Drone strike ignites fires at Russian Black Sea port ahead of renewed peace talks
A Ukrainian drone strike hit Russia’s Black Sea port of Taman, starting fires and damaging an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals and wounding two people, while debris from Russian drones damaged civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, disrupting power and water supplies, ahead of a new round of US-brokered talks in Geneva; Kyiv said it expects European energy and military aid by February 24 as diplomacy continues, and Western officials warned Moscow still seeks concessions. At Munich, European leaders urged that any lasting peace require security guarantees and cautioned that lifting sanctions could enable Russia to re-arm; Slovakia’s Fico accused Kyiv of delaying a pipeline restart to pressure Hungary over EU membership, while Russia’s army chief claimed gains near eastern villages, though these claims could not be independently verified.
