Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Washington for crucial talks with Donald Trump. It comes after the US president met with Sir Keir Starmer last night, where he suggested Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on peace.
Friday 28 February 2025 06:55, UK
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping to gain some kind of security guarantees that would underpin any peace deal with Russia when he visits Donald Trump in Washington today.
Ukraine’s president is also expected to sign a landmark economic agreement that will give the US access to its rare earth mineral resources.
Trump suggested yesterday that US mining in Ukraine would deter future Russian aggression, calling it a “backstop, you could say” (see 06.36 post).
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said being able to meet personally with Trump before Russian President Vladimir Putin does “is a good signal.”
The Ukrainian leader added he hopes to discuss whether the US plans to halt its military aid to Ukraine and, if so, whether Kyiv could purchase weapons directly from the US.
He also said he wants to know if Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets to buy weapons and if Trump plans to lift sanctions on Moscow.
Donald Trump made several comments about Ukraine, Russia and his efforts to help bring an end to the war when he met Sir Keir Starmer in Washington yesterday.
The US president had made it his mission to stop the conflict as quickly as possible after returning to the White House.
Sir Keir praised Trump for “changing the conversation” on Ukraine “to bring about the possibility that now we can have a peace deal”.
Here’s what the president said about the conflict:
Putin will ‘keep his word’ on peace
Trump insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine.
Asked why he appeared to trust Putin when Starmer did not, Trump replied: “I know a lot of people that you would say no chance that they would ever deceive you, and they are the worst people in the world.
“I know others that you would guarantee they would deceive you, and you know what, they’re 100% honourable, so you never know what you’re getting.
“No, I have confidence that if we make a deal, it’s going to hold.”
‘Did I say that?’
Last week, Trump made headlines by calling Volodymyr Zelebskyy a “dictator” for not holding elections in Ukraine, despite the country being under martial law.
Asked about his use of the word yesterday, Trump said: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I would say that.”
He later praised Zelebskyy as “very brave” and said he was someone who he had “a lot of respect” for.
A US backstop in Ukraine
Speaking about the minerals deal due to be signed with Zelenskyy today, Trump suggested it could act as a backstop to deter future Russian aggression.
There had been concern that Trump would stop short of providing the commitment after he said previously said that he would not “make security guarantees beyond very much”.
“President Zelenskyy is coming to see me on Friday morning,” said Trump.
“And we’re going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides because it’s really going to get us into that country, working there,” he said.
He added it was a “backstop, you could say”.
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due in Washington DC today to sign a critical minerals deal with Donald Trump at the White House.
It comes just 24 hours after Sir Keir Starmer met the US president, where Trump insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal with Ukraine.
He also questioned whether he ever called Zelenskyy a “dictator” and said the two leaders would get along “really well” when they met in the US capital later today.
We’ll be catching up with last night’s events in the blog shortly, as well as bringing you the latest news from the frontline and all the information surrounding Zelenskyy’s trip to meet Trump.
We’re pausing our live coverage of the Ukraine war on this live page, but we’ll be back with more tomorrow.
It’s set to be a big evening, however, with Sir Keir Starmer meeting Donald Trump at the White House. The future of the war in Ukraine is expected to dominate talks between the two leaders and you’ll be able to follow every twist and turn in the Politics Hub.
But before we go, here are the key developments in the Ukraine war from today:
Vladimir Putin said Russia does not reject a peaceful solution to its war with Ukraine – he has been claiming since June that Russia is ready for peace, but that is conditional on its demands being met.
He also said Moscow and the US were ready to establish cooperation, adding initial contacts with Donald Trump’s administration gave grounds for hope.
His comments came as US and Russian officials held talks lasting six hours in Turkey today, although the US State Department said before the meeting that Ukraine would not be discussed.
On the battlefield, Moscow’s foreign ministry said Russian forces had recaptured another settlement in its Kursk region.
It said the village of Nikolsky was now back in Russian hands after Ukrainian troops were recently driven out – Sky News could not independently verify the report.
That came after South Korea’s spy agency said North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, France’s defence minister said the country is, like the US, seeking access to Ukraine’s deposits of critical minerals, and negotiations have been under way for months.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected in Washington tomorrow to sign a minerals deal with the US.
We’ve got more to bring you now on talks between US and Russian officials in Turkey today (see our 8.20am post).
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the talks have now wrapped up after six hours.
In a statement issued before the meeting took place in Istanbul, the US State Department said the talks, which were led by working level officials, would not include any discussions on Ukraine or political or security issues.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin told members of the FSB security service that “first contacts with the new American administration inspire certain hopes” (see our 12.39pm post).
“There is a reciprocal mood to work to restore intergovernmental ties and to gradually resolve the huge number of systemic and strategic problems that have built up in the world’s security architecture,” he added.
The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin met with the secretary of The Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea today.
The Russian president was filmed greeting the man, identified as Lee Hee-yong, before the pair posed for photos.
It comes amid reports that North Korea is sending further troops to Russia for help in its war with Ukraine (see 6.49am post).
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
These comments from Vladimir Putin feel like his latest attempt to throw a spanner in the works of European efforts to lobby for American involvement in a Ukrainian security guarantee.
He was giving his annual address to the FSB (Russia’s security service) and the timing was more than a little convenient, coinciding with Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington.
It was an attempt, I think, to ensure that the British Prime Minister’s voice isn’t the only one that Donald Trump hears today.
The Kremlin leader made a similar move on Monday when France’s Emmanuel Macron was in the White House, reminding the US president of all the potential deals he could strike with Moscow if he sides with them.
And it’s a similar thing here. Putin said that Russia and the US are ready to establish “cooperation”, and that their initial contacts have given “grounds for hope”.
Hope for Russia, maybe, but not Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer is in Washington today to meet Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine and Europe’s long-term security.
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Tim Ross assess what Starmer’s approach might be and what he might actually be able to do on the latest episode of Politics At Jack And Sam’s.
Will he – can he – take Macron’s recent approach of flattery and charm, or will he take a firmer line?
👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Irish premier Micheal Martin ahead of the Ukrainian leader’s trip to Washington.
The two met at Shannon Airport in Ireland, where Zelenskyy was stopping off before heading to the US capital for talks with Donald Trump.
Speaking at a news conference following the meeting, Martin said he made it clear to Zelenskyy that Ireland will push strongly for an accelerated timeline in terms of Ukraine’s membership of the EU.
“He’s very keen on that as a priority because, in itself, it gives certain security guarantees to Ukraine, but economically also it opens up significant opportunities for Ukraine into the future.”
They also discussed how Ireland can support Ukraine financially during what Martin described as a “very warm” meeting.
Ukraine’s top commander has visited troops defending the frontline near the key city of Pokrovsk – where Russia has stepped up its assaults.
“The enemy is conducting intense offensive actions in this area, trying to break through the defences of our troops and capture three settlements,” said Oleksandr Syrskyi, head of Ukraine’s armed forces.
He did not say when or which part of the front he had visited.
Improved interaction between military units and regrouping of troops helped to slow the Russian advance in the most-threatened areas on this front, he added.
Pokrovsk is strategically important as a supply hub for Ukrainian forces – that’s why Russian commanders are determined to capture it.
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