Saturday’s Coverage: Zelensky — I’m Ready for Deal with Trump on Rare Earth Minerals
Map: Institute for the Study of War
The UK is allocating £25 million ($31 million) to launch a social recovery initiative in Ukraine.
The SPIRIT program, announced during Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s visit to Kyiv, is a collaboration between the UK, Ukraine, UNICEF, and the World Bank. It will “help Ukraine to meet the varied needs of the population, and accelerate Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic pathway”.
The initiative has three priorities: expanding access to quality social services, with at least 10,000 families in ten regions benefiting; establishing an Office of Social Recovery under Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy to coordinate reforms and international partnerships; and launching projects in health, economy, and social services to support vulnerable groups.
Kim declared that the army and people of North Korea “will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity”.
He emphasized Pyongyang’s “unshakable policy of more highly developing the nuclear forces”.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that North Korean troops have returned to the frontline in Russia’s Kursk region, after withdrawing because of heavy casualties.
Ukrainian and South Korean officials says the North Koreans have lost up to 4,000 of around 12,000 troops deployed alongside Russian units since last autumn.
In his nightly video address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky spoke of the expansion of Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea.
This means one simple thing. [Vladimir] Putin is preparing not for negotiations, not for peace, but for the continuation of the war — and not only against Ukraine.
Intelligence reports confirm that Russia is forming new divisions and developing new military production facilities.
Their cooperation with North Korea will continue to expand. Moscow is also spreading modern warfare technologies to the region, particularly drone technologies.… pic.twitter.com/2r5Uw4IdGQ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 8, 2025