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Ukraine has agreed on a crucial minerals deal with the US after the Trump administration dropped key demands.
The draft agreement, however, does not specify any US security guarantees or continued flow of weapons but says that the US wants Ukraine to be free, sovereign and secure. Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal says the US does, however, support Kyiv’s efforts to obtain security guarantees.
Kyiv hopes the deal, which will see a fund established between the two countries as they jointly develop Ukraine’s mineral resources, will boost its faltering relationship with Washington.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky plans to visit Washington on Friday to meet Mr Trump to discuss a deal.
Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed the Kremlin strongly opposes the positioning of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, claiming it is a “deceit … aimed at pumping Ukraine with weapons”. He did not provide evidence to back these claims.
His comments contradict remarks from US president Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had told him Moscow has comfortable with the idea of European peacekeepers.
Zelensky okays mineral deal with US without security guarantees
The US and Ukraine have agreed on the terms of a draft minerals deal central to Kyiv’s push to win Washington’s support as president Donald Trump seeks to rapidly end the war with Russia.
The draft agreement, however, does not specify any US security guarantees or continued flow of weapons but says that the US wants Ukraine to be free, sovereign and secure, Reuters reported citing sources.
One of the sources familiar with the deal said future weapons shipments are still being discussed between Washington and Kyiv.
Mr Trump told reporters that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wants to come to Washington on Friday to sign a “very big deal”.
This came after the two leaders exchanged hostile words last week.
The Ukrainian Zelensky refused to sign an earlier draft of a minerals agreement as Washington sought rights to $500bn in Ukraine’s natural wealth.
Kyiv protested it had received far less than that in US aid and the deal lacked the security guarantees Ukraine needed.
German foreign minister: Europe needs a European defence fund
Europe needs a defence fund to help it strengthen its security and increase its deterrence capability, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday.
“It would be an important step to relax the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact so member states can continue to increase their national defence spending,” she said in a statement, adding that this alone would not be sufficient for all countries.
“That is why we need a European defence fund that is up to the challenge,” she added.
Ukraine PM: US backs Kyiv’s efforts to obtain security guarantees
Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal has claimed the US supports Kyiv’s “efforts to obtain security guarantees to build lasting peace”.
Previously, it was reported that security guarantees had not been built into an agreement with the US to access its untapped critical minerals, with an estimated value in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Mr Trump has said this is necessary for Ukraine to pay back the US for its support against Russia’s invasion.
It is believed there is no mention of security guarantees in the latest agreeent.
Ukraine PM: US security guarantees directly connected to minerals agreement
Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal has claimed that security guarantees are directly connected to Kyiv’s minerals agreement with the US.
During a telethon, Mr Shmyhal stressed they would not sign the deal unless it included security guarantees.
He added that a final agreement had been prepared and that they would consider the text today.
Macron debriefs European leaders on Trump meeting
French president Emmanuel Macron has debriefed European leaders on his meeting with US leader Donald Trump on Monday.
Antonio Costa, the European Council president, said the debrief was “very useful” ahead of a European meeting on 6 March to discuss future support for Ukraine and strengthening the continent’s defence.
Mr Macron has not released a readout from his meeting with Mr Trump but the pair seemed partly at odds over their outlook on Ukraine.
As Starmer meets Trump – what challenges face the UK’s prime minister?
Polish PM hits out at Trump deal-making with Russia
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has posted a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump on X, decrying “uncertainty, unpredictability, deals”.
Earlier, the Polish PM said Europe could not agree to Ukraine’s capitulation in response to talks between Mr Trump’s administration and the US that Europeans fear could come at Kyiv’s expense.
“Uncertainty, unpredictability, deals. Are these really the rules that the new international order should be based on?” Tusk wrote.
Dozens walk out of Russia speech at UN human rights council
Dozens of dignitaries have walked out of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council in support of Ukraine as Russia’s official began their speech.
The delegates gathered outside the room where the session was taking place. The British, German and French ambassadors were among the dissenters.
We cannot agree to Ukraine’s capitulation, Polish PM Tusk says
European leaders must resist “capitulation” to Russia over Ukraine, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, ahead of a virtual meeting of European Union leaders to discuss the war following US president Donald Trump’s overtures to Moscow.
“We cannot agree to Ukraine’s capitulation to Russia’s, however we call it, impudent demands, including territorial ones,” said Tusk in a video posted on X.
The members of the EU Council of national leaders will hear a debriefing from French president Emmanuel Macron on his visit this week to Washington, where he met Trump.
Macron and Trump displayed stark differences on Monday in their approach to Ukraine, exposing a divide between the United States and Europe over Trump’s bid for a quick ceasefire deal with Russia.
“We all hope for a quick end to the war, and Europe wants to have the most unambiguous position possible,” said Tusk.
He added that while Poland would not send soldiers to a future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, it was ready to provide any logistical assistance “even on a larger scale, if there is such a need”.
Russia claims European peacekeeping force would draw Ukraine into Nato
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed the Kremlin strongly opposes the positioning of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, claiming it is a “deceit … aimed at pumping Ukraine with weapons”. He did not provide evidence to back these claims.
His comments contradict remarks from US president Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had told him Moscow has comfortable with the idea of European peacekeepers.
The head of the Russian delegation in talks with the US also claimed that such discussion was empty talk, according to Russian state media site Tass.
We will bring you the full quotes when we have them.
The peacekeeping force, proposed by French president Emmanuel Macron and endorsed by Sir Keir Starmer, is intended as a security guarantee against future Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Source: independent.co.uk
