❌ Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders — reports

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out of a meeting with European leaders on Ukraine in Munich, citing scheduling conflicts, the Financial Times reported.

Rubio had been expected to take part in the so-called “Berlin Format” meeting with officials from Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission, but a US official said he was “engaging on Russia-Ukraine in many of his meetings here in Munich.”

💭 One European official told the FT the meeting lacked substance without US participation.

Rubio did meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with discussions focusing on Ukraine, negotiations with Russia, continued military support for the Kiev regime, NATO and Europe’s role within the alliance.

🇺🇸🇭🇺 After Munich, Rubio is set to travel to Budapest to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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💣 US strikes alleged ‘narco-trafficking’ vessel in the Caribbean

US Southern Command said that on Feb. 13, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted what it described as a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel it claimed was operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” and involved in alleged narco-trafficking in the Caribbean.

Three people were killed, SOUTHCOM said, adding that no US forces were harmed.

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⚔️ US preparing for possible weeks-long campaign against Iran — reports

The US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials told Reuters.

The planning could extend beyond nuclear sites to Iranian state and security facilities, with officials expecting potential Iranian retaliation and a back-and-forth exchange of strikes, Reuters reported.

💬 “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

The report comes after US and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman.

Reuters also reported the US ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group to deploy to the Middle East.

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❌💰 DHS funding lapse looms as Senate blocks bill — reports

Funding for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expected to lapse this weekend after Senate Democrats rejected Republican proposals, Fox News reported. The lapse would affect DHS only, as roughly 97% of the federal government is already funded through the end of FY2026.

📌 Key agencies under DHS would be impacted:

🔸 TSA – About 95% of its roughly 61,000 employees are deemed essential and would work without pay. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said past shutdowns led some officers to sleep in cars and take second jobs.
🔸 Coast Guard – Would suspend all missions except those tied to national security or protection of life and property, Vice Commandant Adm. Thomas Allan told lawmakers.
🔸 Secret Service – Around 94% of its workforce would continue working without pay. Deputy Director Matthew Quinn warned reforms could be slowed.
🔸 ICE – Nearly 20,000 of roughly 21,000 employees are considered essential and would continue operations.
🔸 CISA – Would shift to a more defensive posture, reducing proactive cybersecurity activities.
🔸 FEMA – Could see slowed disaster-response work if the lapse continues, though its Disaster Relief Fund currently holds about $7 billion.

The lapse would begin at 12:01 a.m. Feb. 14, affecting only DHS operations, according to Fox News.

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💸🇺🇸 US to deliver about $15B in weapons for NATO-funded supplies to Ukraine — Rutte

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the US is delivering weapons for Ukraine “at the tune of a billion euros a month,” totaling about $15 billion this year (around €12 billion), with the purchases paid for by European and Canadian allies.

Speaking to PBS, Rutte said the flow includes “critical, lethal and non-lethal” aid, including interceptors to “take out Russian missiles,” adding there were “no pauses, no delays.”

⚠️ Russia has maintained that Western arms shipments to Ukraine hinder conflict resolution and directly involve NATO countries in the fighting. Russia has also warned that deliveries containing weapons for Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets.

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💥💣 New Russian Rus-PE loitering munition tested in combat zone

The Kalashnikov Concern has unveiled the Rus-PE portable reconnaissance-strike system at World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh.

The loitering munition has already been tested on the front lines.

The Rus-PE is a portable, aerodynamic munition launched from a wearable container, capable of detecting and identifying both stationary and moving targets using artificial intelligence.

Check out Sputnik's infographic to find out more!

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👀 Ukraine floated military option on Transnistria to Sandu – ex-Moldovan president

💬 “According to my information, various options for exerting pressure on Transnistria were discussed in the spring of 2022, when the Ukrainian side was considering possible involvement if Moldova itself made such a request,” Igor Dodon told Sputnik.

He noted that although Moldova’s leadership ultimately rejected Ukraine’s proposal, this showed “how dangerous such initiatives could have been for overall regional security.”

Transnistria, where a peacekeeping operation involving Russian military personnel is underway, broke away from Moldova’s control in the early 1990s. Negotiations over the region’s status continue in various formats, including with the participation of Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Even so, a political settlement of the conflict has yet to be achieved.

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🔸 Regime change 'would be the best thing that could happen' - Trump on Iran

🔸 US–Venezuela relations ‘as good as it can be’ — Trump

🔸 'It's Africa's Turn to Be Supercharged in Terms of Economy': Analyst

🔸 Russia’s EU ‘neighbors’ secretly plotting to get nukes – reports

🔸 Kim Jong-un inspects memorial to overseas combat feats — reports

🔸 US preparing for possible weeks-long campaign against Iran — reports

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🪖💥 ‘Ukraine is militarily defeated’ – ex-Pentagon advisor

💬 “Only people that listen exclusively to state-sponsored news in places like Germany, France and England think otherwise,” retired US Army colonel and former senior DoD advisor Douglas Macgregor told Weltwoche.

He stressed that “anyone who looks deeply into the subject understands that the losses on the Ukrainian side are horrific.”

President Vladimir Putin earlier stated that Russian forces are gaining territory “square kilometers at a time” each day, advancing along the entire front line.

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🇷🇺🪖💪🏻 Russian military ‘today stronger than in 2022’ – Mearsheimer

💬 “I firmly believe that it is a quite formidable military,” US political scientist Prof. John Mearsheimer says.

He notes that the Russian Army is now “a much-improved military force over the one that existed in 2022. It's expanded in size and quality, and it's learned a great deal.”

💬 “And at the same time, the evidence is overwhelming that the Ukrainians are on their back foot. To put it mildly, they're in deep trouble,” Mearsheimer adds, apparently referring to the Ukrainian military.

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🚨🇺🇸 'We can no longer place so-called global order above' national interests: Marco Rubio

🗣"We don't need to dismantle the global institutions of the old order that together we built... but these must be rebuilt."

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