U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly told Fox News on March 4 that there are no plans to sign a mineral resources deal with Ukraine following Donald Trump’s speech to Congress.
Key developments on March 4: * US suspends Ukraine military aid to pressure Zelensky into talks, Trump adviser says * US, Ukraine plan to sign mineral deal on March 4, Reuters reports * Zelensky says White House clash 'regrettable,' proposes steps for peace * Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil refinery in Russia's Samara
Editor's note: This article was updated on March 5 to include a statement from the U.S. European Command. President Donald Trump’s freeze on weapons is alarming Ukrainians, who look to U.S. air defense to stave off the worst of Russia's missile attacks. A White House representative on
The sources indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to announce the agreement during his upcoming address to Congress.
"People should not be guessing. Ukraine and America deserve a respectful dialogue and a clear position of each other," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.
The pause in U.S. military aid to Ukraine is temporary and tied to the fallout from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's heated Oval Office exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on March 4.
The U.S. has suspended military aid to Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toward negotiations with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller said on March 4. It’s just the latest in a series of developments since Trump took office that mark a dramtic shift in the U.S.’s relationship with not only Ukraine, but Europe, and the rest of the world. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Timothy Ash, associate fellow at the Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme, who told us that what is unfolding right now amount to “teutonic shifts in alliances that I don’t think anyone could quite have imagined.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 4 that his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House "did not go the way it was supposed to be," calling the fallout "regrettable."
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has provided Kyiv with real-time intelligence, including satellite imagery and sensitive information on Russian troop movements.
"President Trump is the only person, the only person talking about stopping the killing, and sometimes leaders can use the carrot, sometimes they can use the stick," Trump's senior adviser, Jason Miller, said.
Donald Trump voiced his interest in negotiations with Iran to Vladimir Putin during their phone call in February.
Even in a country grimly accustomed to negative news, the headlines that Ukraine woke up to on March 4 still came as a shock — the U.S. is freezing military aid. "It hurts to watch it unfolding," Volodymyr Dubovyk, the head of Odesa National University's Center for International Studies, told
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television on March 3 that "the new (U.S.) administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations," calling the shift a positive development for Moscow.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky in a March 3 interview with Fox News, claiming Zelensky has shown a "clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process" — a policy Donald Trump insists reflects the will of the American people.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a suspension of all military aid to Ukraine on March 3, escalating pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Berlin and Paris had previously resisted full asset confiscation, they are now engaging in talks with European and G7 partners about potential mechanisms to use the funds.
The United States and Ukraine are making progress on a key mineral agreement that could strengthen long-term economic ties and pave the way for further security assistance, U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said on March 3.
The White House has directed the State and Treasury departments to compile a list of sanctions that could be lifted, according to sources. While internal government offices routinely prepare such options, the White House’s direct request signals a serious consideration of sanctions relief.
"It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible," President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X.
President Volodymyr Zelensky made the remark in a March 2 interview with British media, saying that negotiations were in the earliest stages and that a settlement with Moscow remains a distant prospect.
In the wake of the Feb. 28 clash between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, the Kyiv Independent went to the streets of Kyiv to ask Ukrainians what they think of the now infamous meeting.
"What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he regrets what happened, that he's ready to sign this minerals deal, and that he's ready to engage in peace talks," U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said.
"It was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelensky, but obviously a manufactured escalation in this meeting in the Oval Office," Friedrich Merz, Germany's likely next chancellor, said.
Ukraine had shown interest in alternative satellite options, including Govsatcom, a shared network of EU national government satellites, and IRIS, a new constellation expected to be operational in the 2030s, according to European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
The showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Feb. 28 shocked the entire world. But instead of analyzing its political impact, let’s focus on the details of manners, gestures, which may seem less important than the issues at stake,
Trump's comments are the latest instalment of a widening gulf between the U.S., and Ukraine and its European allies.
The ambush by hired hand U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the White House Oval Office at high noon on Feb. 28 made for great theater, more 24-hour TV than diplomacy. At first, it seemed like an absolute disaster for President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine, potentially risking the withdrawal
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s verbal assault on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office will mark Feb. 28, 2025, as an infamous moment in American and world history. The United States is rapidly destroying its good name and alienating everyone
Donald Trump's spat with Volodymyr Zelensky was an additional incentive for the next round of talks on restoring relations between the U.S. and Russia to take place in the coming weeks.
An unnamed administration official told NYT that Trump will meet on March 3 with his top national security aides, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.
Kash Patel, the newly Trump-nominated director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), called on the US Congress to investigate how aid money sent to Ukraine has been used, The Epoch Times reported on March 2.
How will the latest high-level talks shape Ukraine’s trajectory? What are the key takeaways, and what should diplomats, humanitarians, and businesses anticipate in the coming weeks? Join KI Insights for an exclusive spot briefing this Thursday, where we will break down the fallout and help you navigate the fast-evolving
