U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to have Ukraine supply the U.S. with rare earths as a condition for aid for the war-torn country. "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things,
Senior Russian officials have allegedly visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks, according to Reuters.
Further complicating deliveries was a chaotic weapons-tracking system in which different branches of the U.S. military reportedly used varying definitions of "delivered," creating confusion over how much aid reached Ukraine.
"With regards to the USAID stuff, I went over it with (the president) in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down," Elon Musk said during a conversation on X Spaces.
"We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well," Trump told reporters late on Feb. 2.
The removals are part of a broader effort by Trump’s team to strip USAID of its independence. Nearly 100 senior career staff members have been placed on leave as discussions continue about shifting the agency under State Department control.
This week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the top stories in Ukraine, from the U.S. foreign aid freeze to the battle of Chasiv Yar and the general situation on the battlefield. Also, what is the condition of the Australian POW in Russia’s hands?
Zelensky said that the first step for Ukraine is to hold a high-level meeting with Trump, before moving on to a format for peace talks that includes Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., and the EU.
Trump placed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, with only a 10% tariff on Canadian energy imports. He also imposed a 10% tariff on goods from China.
"It will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump."
Update: Briefing slides can now be accessed here. KI Insights subscribers can also access the recording. Join our exclusive KI Insights Monthly Briefing to gain critical perspectives on the prospects of a peace process in Ukraine under the new US administration. We will analyze the various involved stakeholders and their
In an interview with the Associated Press, Gitanas Nauseda warned that a peace settlement without proper deterrents would allow Russia to consolidate its forces and prepare for further military action.
"We will be speaking, and I think we will perhaps do something that’ll be significant," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Jan. 31. "We want to end that war. That war would not have started if I was president."
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent isn’t a recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and its funding wasn’t affected by the aid freeze. With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President Donald Trump last week put a freeze on projects that have helped Ukraine become freer and
The BRICS group, composed of Russia, China, India, Brazil, and other nations, has been exploring ways to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. has been "fund(ing) a stalemate" that "set (Ukraine) back a 100 years" and called for a swift resolution.
During her hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Senator Jerry Moran asked Gabbard if Russia would "get a pass" from her in light of her past statements. "Senator, I'm offended by the question," Gabbard said.
"We couldn’t just stand by and watch our colleagues and partners lose their teams and suspend their operations while independent journalism remains one of the most crucial jobs in Ukraine today, especially near the front lines," said Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of the Kyiv Independent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is starting 2025 with a bang. In a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire for a settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin has announced its readiness for negotiations “without preconditions.” However, the devil is in the details. For Russia, “without preconditions” translates to cutting
Those programs not covered by the waiver include "abortions, family planning conferences… transgender surgeries, or other non-life saving assistance."
U.S. President Donald Trump suspended all foreign aid programs for 90 days in an executive order signed on his day of inauguration.
EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 28 in their first official phone conversation since the Trump administration took office.
A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo that sought to freeze up to $3 billion in funding for various U.S. federal programs, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Jan. 28.
In a video message to the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his desire for "denuclearisation" and reiterated his call for trilateral discussions involving the U.S., Russia, and China.
For those with a vested interest in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump's first week in office was a bit of a rollercoaster. His inauguration speech on Jan. 21 made no explicit mention of Ukraine or Russia's full-scale invasion, prompting some to question if either was anywhere near a priority
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski believes Trump's recent threats of sanctions against Moscow played a role in Hungary's decision to withdraw its veto.
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to freeze foreign development assistance for 90 days has thrown Ukrainian organizations into turmoil, in some cases threatening their very existence and leaving the people they support in limbo. These non-profit organizations provide a huge range of humanitarian services, including counseling, organizing cultural events,
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys reportedly described the shift as part of a "new era. " Vilnius committed to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense annually until at least 2030. Estonia followed suit, pledging to raise defense spending from 3.7% of GDP to 5%.
U.S. President Donald Trump needs to "understand where the threat is" and not "force Ukraine into a bad deal," U.K. lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Kyiv Independent. In an interview in Kyiv alongside another U.K. lawmaker Layla Moran on Jan. 22, Duncan Smith urged Trump not
David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, was among the few foreign dignitaries that attended U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration last week, the Independent reported on Jan. 26.
Key developments on Jan. 25-26: * Ukraine strikes drone storage facility in Russia's Oryol Oblast and destroys 200 Shaheds, General Staff reports * Rubio halts most foreign aid, including Ukraine assistance, Politico reports * Russia launched over 1,250 bombs, 750 drones at Ukraine during Trump's first week in office * Ukrainian troops avoid
Russia fired 1,250 aerial bombs, over 750 attack drones, and 20 missiles at Ukraine in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan 26.
