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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is not ready to sign a rare earth minerals deal with the US despite Donald Trump claiming an agreement was close, a Ukrainian source has said.
The US president has demanded preferential access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as repayment for his country’s military support, which has been provided to Kyiv by his predecessor Joe Biden over the last three years.
On Friday, Trump said Washington and Kyiv were close to a deal after days of mudslinging and threats in which he labelled Zelensky a “dictator” after Kyiv rejected the proposal as “unserious”.
“There are no American obligations in the agreement regarding guarantees or investments, everything about them is very vague, and they want to extract $500 billion from us,” the source said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Zelensky demanded that Europe should be given a seat at any negotiating table with Russia after a “productive” talk with British prime minister Keir Starmer.
The US has so far only sat down with Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for talks. Trump has dismissed the idea of Kyiv joining peace talks, claiming Zelensky “held no cards” and would only be an obstacle to peace.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday that US President Donald Trump remains committed to ending the conflict in Ukraine, a spokesperson for Rubio said today.
Tara Cobham22 February 2025 16:17
Russian forces have captured the village of Novolyubivka in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, the Kremlin claimed.
It comes after Putin’s troops seized the three villages of Nadiivka, Novosilka and Novoocheretuvate, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
Moscow has previously been premature in claiming the capture of Ukrainian towns and villages.
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 16:00
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 15:30
A second meeting between representatives of Russia and the United States is planned for the next two weeks, the RIA state news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Moscow and Washington held their first talks on ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine on Tuesday, aimed at restoring relations and preparing to conclude the conflict.
The meeting will take place in a third country and the specific location is being agreed upon, Ryabkov told RIA in an interview, without naming who would attend from the Russian or American sides.
Ryabkov said there was “principled agreement” on both sides to hold consultations to work out “the entire block of so-called irritants.”
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 15:00
A woman holds a ‘Give nukes to Ukraine’ placard on a march through London (Yui Mok/PA Wire)
People taking part in a march from the St Volodymyr statue to the Russian embassy in central London (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 14:48
US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between US and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned down an initial proposal from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the sources said.
Mr Trump has demanded preferential access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as repayment for US military support provided to Kyiv by his predecessor Joe Biden over the last three years.
However, Mr Zelensky rejected the plan as “unserious” and said it did not provide any security guarantees in the event of a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 14:45
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 14:30
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 14:11
Europe must be at the negotiating table for any peace talks with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky said “Ukraine’s security is inseparable from Europe’s security” after having a “productive talk” with British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
“We coordinated our military cooperation, joint steps, and engagements for the coming week, which will be very active,” Mr Zelensky said.
“The UK and its people are among Ukraine’s biggest supporters, and we deeply appreciate this.”
The US has so far only sat down with Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for talks.
US president Donald Trump has dismissed the idea of Kyiv joining peace talks, claiming Zelensky “held no cards” and would only be obstacle to peace.
Alexander Butler22 February 2025 13:28