U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 26 that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO as part of a future peace agreement with Russia and ruled out lifting sanctions on Moscow before a deal is reached.
Craig Unger is an American journalist and writer who has written two books on Donald Trump’s connections to Russia’s security services and the Russian mafia stretching all the way back to the 1980s. Unger says he is “absolutely certain” that the U.S. president is a Russian asset whose current actions are benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, and destroying relationships with long-time allies.
While it does not contain any concrete security guarantees, the agreement states the U.S. government "supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."
"It's now confirmed, and we're going to be signing an agreement which will be a very big agreement," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 26 during a White House cabinet meeting.
"No, we haven't lifted any sanctions on anybody… I guess it will be at some point, but right now, we haven't agreed to lift sanctions on anybody," Donald Trump said.
"I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people," Trump told reporters on Feb. 25.
Trump said Zelensky would visit the White House on Feb. 28 to sign the deal, which gives Ukraine "military equipment and the right to fight on." He also said the U.S. was open to signing a minerals deal with Russia.
There is "no definitive agreement" as to how the U.S. will provide security assurances for peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, a French official said.
Key developments on Feb. 25: * Ukraine, US reach agreement on minerals deal * Russia's war objectives 'not yet achieved,' Kremlin's ambassador says * Reclaiming occupied territories possible but 'not easy' for Ukraine, Trump claims * Ukraine needs $524 billion for recovery, reconstruction after 3 years of Russia's full-scale war * Russia's Ryazan oil
"The constitutional territories of Russia have not been liberated," Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said on Feb. 25.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine secured more favorable terms and framed the deal as a way to strengthen ties with the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that the U.S. spent $350 billion on assistance for Ukraine. He also said he wants it back. Trump has used the sum to pressure Ukraine into signing a deal that would give the U.S. at least a 50% interest in Ukrainian
LATEST: Kyiv, Washington reach agreement on minerals deal. The media cycle around a natural resources deal between Washington and Kyiv has been nonstop as the two sides lock horns over an agreement that has escalated from speculative critical minerals to Ukraine’s fruitful oil and gas sector. The relationship between
"We didn't feel it was conducive, frankly, to have something out there at the UN that’s antagonistic to either side," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The proposal comes as the U.S. shifts away from Europe and Ukraine, sending clear signals that the continent won’t be able to rely on Washington for its security in the future.
The day prior, AFP reported that the EU has offered Ukraine its own deal on the country's natural resources, describing it as "mutually beneficial" and a "win-win partnership."
According to the draft obtained by Axios, the U.S. would express its desire to keep Ukraine "free, sovereign and secure."
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 that he believes Ukraine might be able to reclaim some of its territories occupied by Russia, but it would be challenging.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 24 called for a long-lasting peace in Ukraine that would not mean a "surrender of Ukraine."
"I don't use those words lightly... I think we're going to see how it all works out," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 when asked if he would call Vladimir Putin a dictator the same way he labeled President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Key developments on Feb. 24: * War in Ukraine could end 'within weeks,' Putin open to peacekeepers, Trump claims * UN adopts Ukraine's resolution condemning Russia's invasion — US, Russia, Belarus vote against * European leaders arrive in Kyiv on 3rd anniversary of full-scale war * Around 165,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine,
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington supported sending European troops to monitor a ceasefire and that he had discussed the proposal with Putin, who “would accept it.”
The UN General Assembly approved a Ukrainian resolution on Feb. 24 condemning Russia's full-scale invasion, with 93 countries voting in favor and 18 against. The U.S., Israel, Hungary, Russia, and Belarus have voted against the resolution.
"As for Donald Trump... We have just had a conversation. It was a very good conversation within the framework of the G7 meeting led by Canada," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"So I do hope that we will start to move faster in the next few months," Lithuania's defense chief said at the YES conference event held in Kyiv by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion.
Sergey Lavrov's comments come as the White House announced that a peace deal with Russia could be hashed out this week.
"When General (Keith) Kellogg was in Kyiv, I handed him and the U.S. president a document with all ceasefires, along with specific dates, that Russia had violated," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU is set to return to power, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerging as the second-largest party, according to preliminary results of the Feb. 23 parliamentary elections.
The United States is reportedly nearing a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, according to Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East. He said that any potential deal would require both territorial and economic concessions from both sides.
Key developments on Feb. 22-23: * Zelensky willing to step down in exchange for peace * Russia launches largest drone attack since start of full-scale invasion * US mineral deal offers no security guarantees for Ukraine, NYT reports * Zelensky won't sign natural resource deal that 'will be paid by 10 generations of Ukrainians'
"I know that there are people from this Hungarian leader who have contact with people in President Trump's orbit, and are constantly raising questions... in regards to not expanding NATO into eastern Europe," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, criticizing Kremlin talking points that NATO was at fault for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down the stories impacting Ukraine this week. The U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg visited Kyiv as the U.S. President Donald Trump’s team started talks with Russia about a ceasefire deal — without Ukraine’s involvement.
(Updated: )
