US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest. According to the announcement, the talks will focus on efforts to establish peace in Ukraine as well as cooperation between Hungary and the United States. #Ukraine Useless talks. Orban is out in April.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks with Ukraine in Geneva on February 17-18 will cover a broader range of issues compared to the meeting in Abu Dhabi, including territories. According to Peskov, the agenda will expand beyond previous discussions. #Ukraine

President Zelensky said allowing the aggressor to take territory would repeat past mistakes and urged leaders not to seek compromises with Putin. He said Russia is losing 30,000 to 35,000 troops a month and called for full sanctions, including on Rosatom and the entire energy sector. #Ukraine

Ukraine’s NABU and SAPO have notified former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko of suspicion in the Midas case. He is accused of money laundering and involvement in a criminal organization. Investigators say a 100 million dollar fund in Anguilla legalized over 112 million dollars in cash. #Ukraine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto says Ukraine refuses to restart oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons. He and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova sent a letter to Croatia requesting transport of Russian oil via the Adria pipeline. #Energy

President Zelensky said intelligence shows Russia is preparing a massive strike. Speaking after a meeting on regional security, he said Russian forces continue attacks ahead of three party talks in Geneva. He instructed the Air Force, Defense Ministry and Ukrenergo to prepare extra protection steps.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces said they struck Russian troop concentration areas, a communications hub and a UAV control point to reduce the aggressor’s offensive potential. The strikes were reported near Kalynivka, Novopavlivka, Berezove and Zatyshok. Enemy losses and damage are being clarified #Ukraine

The EU is softening criticism of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban ahead of elections, the Financial Times reports. Officials are avoiding remarks that could be seen as interference and may approve about 2.4 billion euros in new defense funds. Polls show the Tisza party leads Fidesz by around 10 points.