The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech on the stand in front of the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine, congratulating the Ukrainian military on Aug. 4, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that his country faces an uphill battle for survival without continued U.S. military assistance.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he told NBC News that it would be "very, very, very difficult" for Ukraine to sustain its fight against Russia and remain secure in the long term without American support. Zelensky stressed that while Ukraine would always fight for its survival, the chances of success would be significantly diminished without help from the United States.
During the interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press," Zelensky also dismissed the idea of negotiating a ceasefire on Russian terms, arguing that Moscow’s goal is to gain time to rebuild its military strength.
He warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks a temporary truce to ease international sanctions and prepare for renewed aggression. "This is really what he wants," Zelensky said, emphasizing that any pause in fighting could allow Russia to reinforce its forces.
His remarks come amid growing tensions between the U.S. and its European allies over support for Ukraine.
At the Munich summit, U.S. Vice President JD Vance took a combative tone, criticizing European leaders on multiple fronts, including issues unrelated to the war. In response, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused the Trump administration of undermining long-standing partnerships. The widening rift has raised concerns in Europe about the future of Western unity against Russia.
Meanwhile, Trump’s recent statements on Ukraine have unsettled many European leaders.
Trump also downplayed criticism from within his party, telling reporters that he had not heard concerns from Senator Roger Wicker, who recently called U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments on Ukraine a "rookie mistake." "I’ll speak to Roger. I’ll speak to Pete. I’ll find out," Trump said.
Despite the shifting U.S. stance, Zelensky remains hopeful that Washington will not abandon Kyiv. He said earlier that he does not believe the U.S. has a concrete plan for peace and insisted that Ukraine must be included in any negotiations between Washington and Moscow.
Speaking at the Munich conference, he suggested that Trump could exert pressure on Putin if he chose to stand firmly with Ukraine. "And if he will choose our side, and if he will not be in the middle, I think he will pressure and he will push Putin to stop the war. He can do it," Zelensky said.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Asami Terajima
