Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Washington for crucial talks with Donald Trump, with the leaders expected to sign a minerals deal. It comes after the US president hosted Sir Keir Starmer yesterday. Listen to a Trump 100 podcast on their meeting as you scroll.
Friday 28 February 2025 09:59, UK
The Kremlin’s guidelines to Russian state media about coverage of recent US-Russian meetings indicate Vladimir Putin’s “determination to manipulate” Donald Trump, according to a leading US-based thinktank.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cites reports from Russian opposition outlet Verstka that says outlets had received instructions from the Kremlin to create an image of Trump as a man who “had the wisdom” to respond to the Kremlin’s “outstretched” hand.
A source who regularly participates in Kremlin meetings with major media editors reportedly stated that the Kremlin told outlets to demonstrate that Trump is “a man who was oppressed in every way both at home and in Europe.”
At the same time as this, Putin has claimed “some Western elites” are trying to “maintain instability” in the world and will try to “disrupt or compromise” the US–Russian dialogue that has begun.
The ISW says this claim is likely an attempt to drive wedges between Trump and other US actors and European leaders, manipulating the US president in the process.
Putin praised the Trump administration again yesterday, claiming Russia’s first contacts with the administration “inspire certain hopes” and that the Trump team is displaying a “reciprocal determination” to restore US-Russian relations.
Today’s meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump is centred around an agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s deposits of rare earth minerals.
The prospect of a minerals deal was first raised by Zelenskyy last year as a way to offer America a tangible reason to continue supporting Ukraine.
Kyiv estimates that about 5% of the world’s “critical raw materials” are in Ukraine. Before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, minerals made up 6.1% of the country’s GDP and 30% of its exports.
It is home to minerals including lithium, used in batteries, and uranium for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons.
What’s in the deal?
Key details have not yet been made public, but Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said this week the preliminary agreement envisaged an “investment fund” would be set up for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Kyiv and Washington would manage the fund on “equal terms”, he added.
He said Ukraine would contribute 50% of future proceeds from state-owned mineral resources, oil and gas to the fund, and the fund would then invest in projects in Ukraine itself.
Zelenskyy said an initial request from Washington to receive $500bn (£395bn) worth of minerals was “no longer” a part of the agreement.
What has Zelenskyy said?
Ukraine’s president hasn’t revealed many details about the deal, besides confirming an agreement was on the table when he spoke in a news conference on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy framed it as a broader economic partnership, as opposed to a deal strictly on minerals.
He also confirmed Kyiv, so far, had no security guarantees from the US against further Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy said he “really wanted at least one sentence” that mentions security guarantees in the deal, adding that US government officials had told him it is there.
“It is important that there is this mention, I am yet to read the detail of it,” he said.
“If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing,” he added.
What has Trump said?
The US president has framed the deal as a way of helping American taxpayers “get their money back” for aid sent to Ukraine throughout the war.
He said Ukraine would get “the right to fight on” in return for access to its minerals, adding it would continue to supply Kyiv equipment and ammunition “until we have a deal with Russia”.
He said this week the US wouldn’t provide security guarantees “beyond very much”, saying responsibility for this fell to Europe.
“We’re going to have Europe do that because… we’re talking about Europe is their next door neighbour, but we’re making sure everything goes well.”
But Trump added that the presence of American workers in Ukraine would provide “automatic security”.
Ukraine’s military says it shot down 107 out of 208 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Another 97 drones were “lost”, it added, in reference to the military’s use of electronic warfare to redirect them.
Kyiv has reported increasing numbers of Russian drones fired at Ukraine of late, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying 267 were fired on the eve of the third anniversary of the war.
In the past three nights alone, Kyiv has reported 551 drones launched at Ukraine by Moscow.
A Russian glide bomb attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka this week killed at least five people, according to its regional governor.
Sir Keir Starmer worked his charm on Donald Trump during his visit to the White House yesterday.
The meeting couldn’t have gone much better for the UK leader, who arrived baring an invitation for Trump from Buckingham Palace and left with the possibility of a UK-US trade deal.
On day 40 of Trump 100, US correspondents Mark Stone and James Matthews are joined by political editor Beth Rigby, who spent the day following the two leaders.
They discuss the highs of the trip, but question whether people back in the UK will be impressed. Plus, how do you get Trump’s attention in a crowded room? Rigby tells all.
You can email James, Mark and Martha on trump100@sky.uk
👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈
By David Blevins, Sky correspondent in Washington
It feels like “the draft” has come six weeks early – the annual selection meeting in American football.
For three or four days, teams in the NFL attempt to woo players with the most lucrative contracts.
In a classic Emmanuel Macron manoeuvre, the French president deployed flattery in the Oval Office.
Three days later, Sir Keir Starmer the charmer upped the game, whipping out a letter from the King.
In their determination to entice the key player back on to Europe’s side, their tactical game was top-notch.
But Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s arrival at the White House is the moment of truth for their charm offensive.
The Ukrainian leader has stressed the need for security guarantees before signing any agreement.
Donald Trump seems to be suggesting that a deal on rare earth minerals provides such security.
“Digging our hearts out,” as he put it, in an economic partnership, would certainly be ground-breaking diplomacy.
This week’s flurry in Washington reflects Europe’s concern about Trump’s push to end the war.
Ten days ago, his apparent concessions to Russia sounded alarm bells across the Atlantic.
But his meetings with Macron and Starmer were more amicable than France and the UK dared hope.
Both fact-checked him in real time when he claimed European aid for Ukraine had been given as a loan.
Donald Trump prompted a combination of outrage and deep concern with false allegations about Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
The US president first labelled his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator without elections” in a post on Truth Social last Wednesday, before repeating the claim at a tech summit in Miami hours later.
However, asked about the comments during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer last night, he attempted to laugh them off – smiling while suggesting he could not recall having made the untrue statements.
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 hosted 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 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 and prompted a huge backlash when he called 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.
No security gurantees
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.
But he stopped short of offering any specific security guarantees for Ukraine – such as a commitment of US military support – something which Starmer had hoped to secure heading into the meeting.
“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 the day after Sir Keir Starmer met the US president in Washington, 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 latest on 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.
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