Trump reiterated his push for a deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, arguing that it would help Kyiv's economy while ensuring that Washington "recoups the tens of billions of dollars and military equipment sent to Ukraine."
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.
Among the bombshells coming out of the Trump administration in its first month in office is the president’s demand that Ukraine pledge $500 billion worth of mineral resources to the United States in return for American support. U.S. President Donald Trump appears to see this as payback for
"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.
The U.S. version of the resolution, dubbed as the "Path to Peace," is aimed at ending the war, Suspilne reported. The draft reportedly does not name Russia the aggressor, but calls for "an immediate end to the conflict."
Sergey Lavrov's comments come as the White House announced that a peace deal with Russia could be hashed out this week.
"We are committed to completing this (deal) swiftly to proceed with its signature," Stefanishyna said on X. While praising the talks as "constructive," Deputy Prime Minister Stefanishyna did not provide any details on the deliberations or the content of the deal.
Kaja Kallas suggested that "the messages coming out of the U.S." regarding the elections in Ukraine suggest that "the Russian narrative is very strongly represented there."
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 Polish leader told reporters that President Donald Trump is determined to end Russia’s war on Ukraine adding that Russia cannot be allowed to win.
President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back at the U.S.’ demand for a $500 billion deal for its natural resources, saying that the U.S.’s aid grants are not debts, during the Ukraine: Year 2025 forum in Kyiv on Feb. 23.
Yulia Svyrydenko's comment comes as Kyiv and Washington negotiate a deal for Ukraine’s natural resources in return for support and security guarantees.
"The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Feb. 22.
The two leaders could discuss a broad range of global topics in addition to the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. The meeting would be a step toward "normalizing relations" between the U.S. and Russia.
"I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up," Trump said on Feb. 22. "We're asking for rare earth and oil — anything we can get."
The terms of the revised proposal are virtually the same as those of an earlier version rejected by President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a draft dated Feb. 21.
Sikorski said their meeting was "substantial and cordial" and it "confirmed the durability of the Polish-American alliance," Polish RMF FM reported.
The phone call comes amid growing concerns in Kyiv and among European allies about Washington's shifting stance on the war.
The U.S. first raised the prospect of shutting off Starlink service after Zelensky rejected the deal presented on Feb. 12. Starlink terminals are critical in securing Ukraine's battlefield communications.
The new U.S. resolution mourns the casualties of the "Russia-Ukraine conflict" and "implores a swift end" to hostilities, according to a draft obtained by Reuters.
"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let him attack," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 21, after previously blaming Ukraine for starting the war.
"I think (the Ukrainians) want it. They feel good about it, and it's a significant — it's a big deal, but they want it, and it keeps us in that country, and they're very happy about it."
Ukrainian and U.S. officials negotiated a mineral deal all night into the morning on Feb. 21 amid a rift between the two nations over the agreement, Axios reported.
"This is the Russian narrative; this is how Putin has presented it for years, and I'm frankly shocked that Donald Trump has now apparently embraced it himself," German opposition leader and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said.
"Canada is not ready for a change in the membership of the G7 and is standing its ground," Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc said.
"President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said.
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was first published by the Ukrainian NGO Civil Network OPORA as an open statement, which garnered nearly 300 signatures at the time it was published by the Kyiv Independent. Democracy during wartime must be protected even more than in peacetime, as the consequences of mistakes
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this in reaction to an article by the Financial Times claiming that during the talks in Riyadh on Feb. 18, Russian delegates asked for the NATO rollback as a condition for "normalizing relations."
"The only way is to test them (Russia), to basically engage them and say, okay, are you serious about ending the war, and if so, what are your demands. Are your public demands and your private demands different?" U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. "It may turn out that they don’t want to end the war."
Beijing is prepared "to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement during the G20 foreign ministers meeting.
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