President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk during a speech on June 6, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine will start working to conclude an agreement with the U.S. for its natural resources on Feb. 24, Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine's parliament, told Japanese media outlet NHK.
The U.S. is reportedly looking to obtain an interest in 50% of Ukraine's natural resources through a joint investment fund as payback for its support for Kyiv, according to a leaked version of the deal passed along to President Volodymyr Zelensky by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
According to the NHK report published on Feb. 22, the Ukrainian government will assemble an expert team to begin working on finalizing the agreement on Monday, which also marks the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Stefanchuk said Ukraine is ready to work with partners on the agreement but wants to "receive specific security guarantees," according to the report. He also said Ukraine seeks to have "constructive discussions" and a summit with the U.S.
Zelensky previously said Kyiv was not ready to sign the document as it did not include any security guarantees.
Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported, citing its source with knowledge of the talks, that Ukraine and the U.S. need more time to finalize the agreement for Ukraine's natural resources.
According to Bloomberg, the draft agreement proposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump administration "currently has some questionable elements" for the Ukrainian side, without specifying them.
Sky News also reported, citing its source, that the agreement “is not yet ready to be signed” due to a number of "problematic issues," adding that Zelensky is not ready to accept the current form of the draft.
However, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Feb. 21 that the deal “was going to be done” this week, according to Sky News.
"Here's the bottom line, President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," he said during the Conservative Political Action Conference, as quoted by Sky News.
Trump said in early February that he wanted to strike a deal with Ukraine involving access to rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid. Trump later claimed that Kyiv had "essentially agreed" to a $500 billion resource deal.
However, the latest reports come shortly after Trump accused the Ukrainian president of being "a dictator without elections," saying that "Zelensky better move fast or he won’t have a country left."
On Feb. 19, Trump also said he aims to "resurrect" talks on the agreement for Ukraine's natural resources.
"I think I’m gonna resurrect that deal, you know, we'll see what happens, but I’m gonna resurrect it, or things are gonna not make him (President Volodymyr Zelensky) too happy. And look, it’s time for elections," Trump said, without elaborating on the consequences for Ukraine and its president if the deal is not signed.
Francis Farrell
