The US is demanding control of a key pipeline in Ukraine used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to reports, while Kyiv negotiates a minerals deal with the Donald Trump administration.
Prospects for a breakthrough in the deal between Washington and Kyiv are scant given the “antagonistic” atmosphere of the talks, a source told Reuters following last week’s meeting.
The US has demanded that its International Development Finance Corporation take control of a natural gas pipeline running from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.
Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian Washington’s bullying “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump said on Saturday that talks to end the war in Ukraine might be going well, adding that there was a time when you had to put up or shut up.
His envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg for four hours to discuss a “Ukrainian settlement” on Friday.
Russian missile targeted Indian warehouse, says Ukraine
Officials in Ukraine claimed a Russian missile deliberately struck the warehouse of an Indian pharmaceutical company in Kyiv.
“Today, a Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum in Ukraine. While claiming ‘special friendship’ with India, Moscow deliberately targets Indian businesses – destroying medicines meant for children and the elderly,” Ukraine’s embassy in India said on X.
Ukrainian F-16 pilot killed in combat
A 26-year-old Ukrainian F-16 pilot was killed yesterday while performing a combat mission, the Ukrainian air force said.
Pavlo Ivanov is the second F-16 pilot to be killed since Ukraine recently added the fighters to its arsenal. A 30-year-old pilot died in August last year when a fighter aircraft crashed while repelling a Russian air attack.
“We express our deepest condolences to Pavlo’s family. He died in battle, defending his homeland from occupiers,” the air force said in a statement.
“Ukrainian pilots work at the maximum of human and technical capabilities, risking their lives each time they perform combat missions. Pavlo was one of them.”
Trump says talks on Russia-Ukraine war talks might be going OK
US president Donald Trump said yesterday that talks to end Russia’s war on Ukraine might be going OK, adding that there is a time when you have to put up or shut up.
At a meeting between US and Russian envoys earlier this week, it was reportedly said that the fastest way to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine was to support a strategy that would give Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions it attempted to annex illegally in 2022.
US demands control over Ukraine pipeline carrying Russian gas – report
The US has demanded control of a key pipeline in Ukraine that is used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to reports, while Kyiv negotiates a mineral deal with Donald Trump’s administration.
Prospects for a breakthrough in the minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv were scant given the meeting’s “antagonistic” atmosphere, a source told Reuters, following last week’s meeting.
The US has demanded that the government’s International Development Finance Corporation take control of a natural gas pipeline, which runs from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.
Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian that Washington’s bullying “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week said a minerals deal should be profitable for both countries and could be structured in a way that would help modernise Ukraine.
The latest draft would give the US privileged access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits and require Kyiv to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of natural resources by Ukrainian state and private firms.
The proposed deal, however, would not provide US security guarantees to Kyiv – a top priority of Mr Zelensky – for its fight against Russian forces occupying some 20 per cent of its territory.
Source: independent.co.uk
