Key developments on Feb. 26:
- Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals
- No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says
- US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says
- No sanctions relief for Russia pre-deal and Ukraine 'can forget about' NATO, Trump says
- 'More than 40 explosions' — HUR confirms Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Tuapse oil refinery
- Ukrainian forces liberate Kotlyne village near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on Feb. 28 to sign a minerals agreement between the two countries.
"It's now confirmed, and we're going to be signing an agreement which will be a very big agreement," Trump said on Feb. 26 during a White House cabinet meeting.
Following weeks of tense negotiations, Washington and Kyiv agreed on a deal to establish a fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of proceeds from the "future monetization" of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and logistics infrastructure.
It excludes revenue streams already flowing into Ukraine's budget, meaning it will not impact Naftogaz and Ukrnafta, the country's largest oil and gas producers.
The final version drops earlier U.S. demands for a $500 billion claim over Ukraine's resources, which had been a major sticking point.
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved the decision to sign the mineral resources agreement on Feb. 26, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Security guarantees, a key issue for Kyiv, are not explicitly included in the agreement but will be discussed in future negotiations, Zelensky told journalists on Feb. 26.
Zelensky also said he plans to use the meeting with Trump to ask about continued U.S. support, Washington's direct talks with Moscow, and the prospect of a broader strategy to end the war.
"I have already emphasized that it is unacceptable for us if decisions about us are made without us," he said.
The U.S. and Russia held their first direct negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18, marking the first such meeting since Moscow's full-scale invasion began.
A second round is set for Feb. 27, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying discussions will include the reopening of embassies.
Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to broker a deal to end the war, suggested a ceasefire agreement was within reach.
"Most importantly, by far, we're going to make a deal with Russia and Ukraine to stop killing people," he said on Feb. 26.
Zelensky noted he hopes to get more answers from the meeting about what to expect from the United States in the near future and "what joint plan we can prepare to end this war."
The meeting comes as Trump's outreach to Moscow fuels concerns in Kyiv and among European allies. He has also escalated rhetoric against Zelensky, calling him a "dictator without elections," echoing Russian propaganda narratives.
His remarks ignore the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The Kyiv Independent
No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says
Security guarantees Kyiv is seeking are not specified in a mineral deal agreement with Washington, but will be discussed in future rounds of negotiations with the U.S. and other allies, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Feb. 26.
The deal, finalized on Feb. 25, follows weeks of negotiations that strained relations between Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump. Washington initially proposed three versions, with Kyiv rejecting the first two over the absence of security guarantees.
The latest version of the agreement, which was obtained by the Kyiv Independent, aims to create a fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of proceeds from the "future monetization" of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and logistics infrastructure.
While it does not contain concrete security guarantees, the agreement states that the U.S. government "supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."
"I asked for an understanding that all this is part of the future security guarantees of Ukraine," Zelensky said of the deal, adding that he wanted "at least a sentence about security guarantees for Ukraine to appear in the agreement — and it did appear."
Trump also on Feb. 26 said that Europe, rather than the U.S., would be mainly responsible for providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
"I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much — we're going to have Europe do that because we're talking about Europe is their next door neighbor," he said during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
Trump added that the U.S. would ensure "everything goes well" and, as anticipated, would collaborate with Ukraine on rare earth minerals.
"We very much need rare earth — they have great rare earth," he said.
It's unclear whether Trump's reference to Ukraine's "rare earth" was meant to indicate the country's critical minerals or other resources, as Ukraine possesses only small deposits of rare earths.
Earlier versions of the deal reportedly included a controversial clause requiring Ukraine to repay U.S. aid at a two-to-one ratio, meaning for every dollar received, Kyiv would have to return two.
"From what I was told, the 'two-to-one' provision is not there, and thank God," Zelensky told reporters at the meeting.
The president also emphasized that Ukraine would not assume debt under the agreement. "Despite what is being said in the media, the agreement does not include any $500 billion debt, $350 billion, or $100 billion. Because that would be unfair to us," he said.
The latest draft of the agreement drops earlier U.S. demands for a $500 billion claim over Ukraine's natural resources, which had been a major sticking point.
This agreement will be followed by a more detailed Fund Agreement, which will define the terms of the Reconstruction Investment Fund, jointly managed by Ukraine and the U.S. The Fund Agreement will require ratification by Ukraine's parliament.
Abbey Fenbert
US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says
U.S. and Russian officials will meet for a second round of Ukraine peace talks on Feb. 27 to discuss the reopening of embassies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"Such a meeting will take place tomorrow in Istanbul. I think that its results will show how quickly and effectively we can move forward," he said in comments reported by Russian state media.
Lavrov also said that Russia will not allow the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
The first round of talks on Feb. 18 in Saudi Arabia marked the first direct negotiations between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion began, with Russia's delegation, led by Lavrov, sitting down with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials. Ukraine was not invited to participate.
Following the initial meeting, Rubio outlined three main objectives both sides had agreed to pursue.
These include restoring embassy staff in Washington and Moscow, creating a high-level team to facilitate Ukraine peace talks, and exploring ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
Elsewhere, an agreement between Kyiv and Washington regarding Ukraine's critical minerals and natural resources will grant Ukraine "military equipment and the right to fight on," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 25.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office of the White House, Trump said that the agreement gave Ukraine billions of dollars in aid and "lots of equipment."
Trump denied having spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding U.S. access to critical minerals in Russian-occupied Ukrainian lands.
Andrea Januta
No sanctions relief for Russia pre-deal and Ukraine 'can forget about' NATO, Trump says
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.
"You can forget about (NATO membership). That's probably the reason the whole thing started," Trump said during a White House cabinet meeting when asked what concessions Ukraine should make in a settlement.
Trump has repeatedly blamed President Joe Biden for provoking Russia's full-scale invasion by supporting Ukraine's NATO aspirations. Russian propaganda often cites Ukraine's potential alliance membership as a justification for the war.
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022. While the alliance declared in 2024 that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," no formal invitation has been extended.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has called NATO membership the "cheapest" possible security guarantee for Ukraine.
Asked whether sanctions relief for Russia would be part of peace negotiations, Trump said, "No. I want to see if we make a deal (to end Russia's war against Ukraine) first."
Washington has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, targeting banks, energy exports, and dual-use goods.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously indicated that sanctions relief could be part of negotiations but insisted the U.S. would maintain restrictions at least until an agreement is reached.
Trump's comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to visit Washington on Feb. 28 to sign a minerals agreement with the U.S.
Abbey Fenbert
'More than 40 explosions' — HUR confirms Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Tuapse oil refinery
Ukrainian drones successfully struck the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region overnight on Feb. 26, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"According to intelligence sources, the attack on the facility resulted in at least 40 explosions and a fire, damaging oil refining equipment," the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Earlier on Feb. 26, Russia's Defense Ministry said 128 Ukrainian drones had been downed over the country, 83 of them in Krasnodar Krai.
It did not report any damage or casualties but unverified videos posted to social media showed explosions in the area, including at a nearby seaport.
Last night, a large-scale drone attack targeted Russia’s Krasnodar Krai as part of an effort to enforce peace. Key sites, including the commercial port in Tuapse and various facilities in the city, were struck. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 128 drones… pic.twitter.com/8Fh20JC6uy
— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) February 26, 2025
The HUR source said the refinery and port "plays an important role in ensuring the military logistics of the occupying Russian army."
"The oil terminal in Tuapse is one of the largest in the Russian Federation, and the Tuapse port is one of the key Russian cargo ports on the Black Sea," they added.
Rosneft's Tuapse refinery has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian strikes over the past year. Following an earlier strike, the facility underwent an emergency shutdown in May.
Ukraine has escalated attacks against Russia's oil industry, successfully reducing the processing capacities of multiple facilities.
Kateryna Hodunova
Ukrainian forces liberate Kotlyne village near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast
Ukrainian troops have regained control of the village of Kotlyne, near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade reported on Feb. 26.
The village of Kotlyne is located some 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Pokrovsk. Kotlyne and Pokrovsk are connected by the T0406 highway, which also leads to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
"Paratroopers of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Airborne Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces cleared the village of Kotlyne near Pokrovsk during the assault and recovery operations," the statement read.
If Russian troops occupied the settlement, they would have been able to access the Pokrovsk-Dnipro highway, the military said.
The embattled city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast is among the most hotly contested areas of the front. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi previously claimed that 7,000 Russian soldiers were killed near Pokrovsk in January alone.
The Ukrainian military, which has published daily estimates of Russian losses since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has reported that 870,700 personnel have been killed or wounded since the start of the all-out war.
According to a report from the monitoring group DeepState in late January, Russian forces have been concentrating nearly half of their attacks in the Pokrovsk direction.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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