Ukraine war latest: Trump expecting Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday to sign minerals deal

'Empty talk': Lavrov dismisses idea of peacekeepers in Ukraine

Russia's foreign minister has labelled discussions about a peacekeeping force operating in Ukraine after a potential ceasefire with Russia as "empty talk".

Speaking in Doha, Sergei Lavrov said the idea, mooted in the past weeks by both Britain and France, is aimed at further fuelling the conflict and was a "deceit" aimed at allowing Ukraine to rearm.

He said the move would draw Ukraine into NATO and "totally destroy" the rights of Russian-speakers there.

Donald Trump said on Monday that he asked Vladimir Putin specifically about the possibility of a peacekeeping force operating in Ukraine.

The Russian leader reportedly said he had "no problem with it", in stark contrast to the Kremlin's messaging on the issue.

Asked about the comments at a news conference yesterday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cast doubt on Trump's claim, referring to an earlier statement that such a move would be "unacceptable" to Moscow.

Kremlin says Russia and US are preparing more talks

As we mentioned in our last post, Moscow is planning the next round of "expert-level talks" between its officials and the US.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "contacts are being prepared" through the foreign ministries of both countries, without providing further details.

Both Russia and the US sat around the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia for the first time this month to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Peskov added there was an understanding that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin should meet in person after thorough preparation, but said there were no details yet on when and where this would happen. 

He said the two leaders could speak again by phone if needed, but there were no current plans for this. 

Peskov also declined to comment on the reported minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine but noted reports that Volodymyr Zelebskyy would visit the White House this week.

"Whether it will be [to sign] the aforementioned agreement or something else, we'll see. There have been no official statements on this matter yet," he said. 

Russia would need to fight for 83 more years to capture all of Ukraine, analysts say

Russia's military would need to keep fighting for at least 83 more years to capture the remaining 80% of Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The US-based thinktank says Russia appears to be operating in Ukraine based on the assumption that the war will continue indefinitely and that it does not need to make significant territorial gains in a single offensive.

With this in mind, the ISW assessed it would take Russian forces until 2108 at the least to control all of Ukraine, assuming they can sustain their current rate of advance and massive personnel losses indefinitely, which it says is unlikely.

"Putin has articulated a theory of victory, however, that assumes that Russia can outlast Ukraine and the West and continue to advance on the battlefield until Russia defeats Ukraine," the report adds.

This all comes amid hopes of a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, with representatives from Moscow meeting US officials in Saudi Arabia last week.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "expert level talks" between Moscow and Washington are being prepared as a follow-up to the meeting in Riyadh.

After talks with Donald Trump this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said a truce could be agreed in the coming weeks.

Poland to transfer 5,000 more Starlink terminals to Ukraine

Poland's deputy prime minister says Warsaw has ordered 5,000 Starlink internet terminals for Ukraine.

"Starlink provides internet and security in both civilian and military spheres. Thanks to this, the front holds," Krzysztof Gawkowski said.

Starlink terminals have played a vital role in securing communications in the war in Ukraine, with most battlefield positions equipped with their own terminal.

Last year, Ukraine said around 42,000 terminals were in operation across the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations.

More than 20,000 of those have been lent by Poland.

Is Trump's minerals deal short-term gain for long-term pain?

On day 38 of Donald Trump's presidency, the White House have announced Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit him at the end of the week.   

US correspondents Mark Stone, James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss what could be in the minerals deal at the centre of the surprise summit and how it will affect Sir Keir Starmer's imminent visit. 

Minerals deal excludes 'overly onerous' US demands

After a long time spent negotiating, it appears Ukraine and the US have agreed on a framework agreement for a minerals deal.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to head to Washington in the coming days to finalise the agreement.

A major sticking point in the deal, according to security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, was a demand from the US to get $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from accessing Ukrainian natural resources.

What minerals does Ukraine have – and why does Donald Trump want them?

Sky News

"Ukraine was very frustrated about what it viewed as overly onerous demands from the United States for its mineral wealth," she tells Sky News Breakfast presenter Wilfred Frost.

"That contentious figure of $500bn, we're told, is no longer in the agreement. 

"Also no longer in the agreement and has never been in the agreement is an explicit commitment from the US to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the wake of this cease fire deal that Donald Trump says he wants to broker.

"This is something that Ukraine has repeatedly says is absolutely fundamental for it to be confident that Russia won't just stop fighting, rearm and attack again, but would actually be genuinely deterred."

Who's given Ukraine most aid - and does it have enough rare earth metals to 'pay back' US?

How much have America, Britain and the rest paid Ukraine in aid since the Russian invasion? And do they have any hope of getting money back in return?

These are big questions, and they're likely to dominate much of the discussion in the coming months as Donald Trump pressurises his Ukrainian counterparts for a deal on ending the war. So let's go through some of the answers.

First off, the question of who has given the most money to Ukraine rather depends on what you're counting.

If you're looking solely at the amount of military support extended since 2022, the US has provided €64bn, compared with €62bn from European nations (including the UK).

But now include other types of support, such as humanitarian and financial assistance, and European support exceeds American (€132bn in total, compared with €114bn from the US).

Divide Europe into its constituent nations, on the other hand, and none of them individually comes anywhere close to the US quantity of aid.

That being said, simple cash numbers aren't an especially good measure of a country's ability to pay...

Putin trumps Zelenskyy?

Will Europe fill the defence vacuum left by the American withdrawal of support for the war in Ukraine?  What will a mineral deal between Ukraine and America look like? 

Richard and Yalda get together on the week of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to discuss these questions and more.

Richard records from a bombed-out hotel in Odesa in the south of Ukraine, where he has spent the week talking to those in the military and civilians to get their reaction to Trump beginning peace talks with Putin. Yalda reports on her latest discussions with diplomats and politicians from across the world.

One killed, several injured in Russia drone attack on Kyiv region, governor says

An overnight Russian drone attack on the Kyiv region has killed one person, injured at least four and set several houses on fire, says a regional governor.

The body of a civilian was found in a residential house that caught fire as a result of the attack, Mykola Kalashnyk wrote in a post on Telegram.

He said that at least four other people in the region were injured overnight and at least five homes and two multi-storey residential buildings were damaged in the attacks. 

Across the whole of the country, Ukraine's air defences shot down 110 of 177 drones launched by Russia, the air force said.

It added that 66 other drones were "lost", in reference to the military's use of electronic warfare to redirect them.

Elsewhere, the Russian defence ministry said a total of 128 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia overnight.

Some 83 of those were destroyed over the country's southern Krasnodar region in an attack that damaged several houses, Russian officials said.

Krasnodar's governor said in a post on Telegram that three residential houses were damaged throughout the region, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. 

Trump expecting Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday to sign minerals deal

As we reported last night, Ukraine has agreed terms with the US on a crucial minerals deal.

Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv has agreed a framework for an economic deal with the US, under which they will trade rights to rare minerals in exchange for continued aid.

Donald Trump told reporters at the White House last night that he expects Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday to sign the agreement.

He said Zelenskyy is "coming to visit on Friday" and said Ukraine's president "would like to sign the minerals deal with me".

"We have pretty much negotiated our deal on rare earths," he added.

The document reportedly does not provide one crucial request from Ukraine - a commitment from Washington to give security guarantees to Kyiv in the wake of any ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin.

However, media reports say the document appears to have dropped a US demand to get $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from accessing Ukrainian natural resources.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna told the Financial Times that the minerals agreement "is only part of the picture". 

"We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it's part of a bigger picture," she said.

-SKY NEWS