Four years of war in Ukraine

Plus, Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China.

Add Reuters to Your Google Preferred Sources Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hello. Today marks four years of war in Ukraine and our package includes a podcast, a graphic and a fascinating piece on how drones dominate the battlefield. Elsewhere, a romantic tryst led to Mexican cartel leader's capture and death, Iran nears a deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China, and we look at Trump's economy one year on.  Today's Top News   Ukrainian tank platoon commander Valentyn Bohdanov inspects his tank near a front line, Kharkiv region, Ukraine. February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Sofia Gatilova War in Ukraine Small but deadly "first-person-view" drones now dominate the skies above Ukraine's battlefields, making it extremely risky for armored vehicles to move. Since Moscow's February 2022 invasion, traditional military tactics have been upended as technology has forced both sides to make new battlefield calculations. After four years of war, is peace any closer? Editor-at-large Mike Collett-White joins today's Reuters World News podcast to look at the questions that still remain for any deal LINK TK. Take a look through images from four years of fighting in Ukraine. Warning: Contains graphic content. In other news As US President Donald Trump prepares to deliver the traditional State of the Union address to Congress at a fraught moment for his presidency, a poll shows six in ten Americans think he has become erratic as he ages. A dozen public health experts are arriving in South Carolina to help the state contain the largest US measles outbreak in more than 30 years, but they're not coming from the CDC. A tip about drug lord Nemesio Oseguera's romantic liaisons led Mexican authorities to the cartel leader's hideout in a small town of Jalisco state where he was killed, Mexican authorities said in the first account of the ambush. Now cartels are using fake news to spread fear in Mexico. Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the US deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been banned from meeting members of the French government after not showing up at the Foreign Affairs ministry earlier in the day, where he had been summoned over comments on the killing of a French far-right activist last week. Business & Markets   Over a year into Trump's second presidential term, his suite of sweeping economic policy changes has delivered on some promises and fallen short on others, leaving American households and businesses with a mixed bag. The US imposed a new tariff of 10% on all goods not covered by exemptions, a notice issued by US Customs and Border Protection said, the rate initially announced by Trump on Friday rather than the 15% he promised a day later. With US arch rival Eli Lilly streaking away on weight-loss prescriptions and valuation, the last thing Novo Nordisk needed was to give it a helping hand. Then came the latest trial data for the Danish company's next-generation obesity drug. Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's latest AI model, set to be released as soon as next week, was trained on Nvidia's most advanced AI chip, the Blackwell, a senior Trump administration official said, in what could represent a violation of US export controls. Sports investors diversifying into emerging new small-sided, digital-focused soccer leagues are enjoying the ride so far, with audience figures and global reach expanding - but questions remain over the format's long-term viability. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's new government can curb excess competition and speed industrial consolidation. On this episode of The Big View podcast, Monex's Jesper Koll tells Una Galani that borrowing will not rise, while higher interest rates will reshape equity markets. A student's death in Senegal shines light on a simmering debt crisis   Abdoulaye Ba's brother shows Abdoulaye's photo on his mobile phone at their house in Dakar, Senegal, February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Amadou Bilo Diallo was hiding in his student dormitory with five roommates and a handful of friends when Senegalese police stormed in and began beating them with batons and shields. The journalism student said he was lucky to walk away with wounds to his head and feet. Others say they were hospitalized after being beaten or jumping from the upper floors of Diallo's building to escape a fire that broke out amid the violence. Abdoulaye Ba, a student who lived in the building, died of his injuries that day. The dramatic scenes this month at Senegal's top university followed demonstrations over what students described as unpaid financial aid, reflecting a growing rift between the country's populist leaders and young people who helped bring them to power. Read more And Finally... A reveller in the coastal town of Galaxidi, Greece. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidi Revellers participate in 'flour war', dousing each other with tonnes of coloured flour, marking Clean Monday - the end of carnival season in Greece. View gallery   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. 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