{"id":128170,"date":"2025-02-28T07:58:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T07:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-in-us-to-sign-mineral-deal-as-trump-tries-to-deny-calling-him-a-dictator-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T07:58:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T07:58:42","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-in-us-to-sign-mineral-deal-as-trump-tries-to-deny-calling-him-a-dictator-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelensky-in-us-to-sign-mineral-deal-as-trump-tries-to-deny-calling-him-a-dictator-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky in US to sign mineral deal as Trump tries to deny calling him a dictator – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Trump says he does not think Putin would invade Ukraine again
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Ukraine<\/a> president Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> will meet US president Donald Trump<\/a>, where he\u2019s set to sign a critical minerals deal<\/a> as Kyiv<\/a> works to regain Washington\u2019s support to fight off the Russian invasion.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Trump denied ever calling the Ukrainian leader being a \u201cdictator\u201d<\/a> following a Truth Social rant just last week.
\u201cDid I say that? I can’t believe I said that\u201d, he said in response to a question about whether he stood by the remark.
He said: \u201cWe have a lot of respect, I have a lot of respect for him.
\u201cWe’ve given them a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely, no matter how you figure, they have really fought.\u201d
Trump has claimed Russian president Vladimir Putin<\/a> would keep his word on a peace deal struck with Ukraine and said Moscow<\/a> has been \u201cacting very well\u201d as he met with British prime minister Keir Starmer<\/a> at the White House on Thursday.
\u201cI think Russia<\/a> has been acting very well. … I think we’re very well advanced on the deal, but we have not made a deal yet.\u201d
Donald Trump has denied calling Volodymyr Zelensky a \u201cdictator\u201d just a week after his Truth Social rant.
When asked if he stood by his remarks about the Ukrainian president, ahead of their meeting today, he said: \u201cDid I say that? I can\u2019t believe I said that. Next question please.\u201d
The US president went on to say in a press conference: \u201cI think we\u2019re going to have a very good meeting tomorrow morning. We\u2019re going to get along really well.\u201d
Ukraine\u2019s military has said it shot down 107 drones out of 208 launched by Russia overnight, just days after Russia launched the largest drone attack of the war so far.
The air force said another 97 drones had been “lost” and did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.
It did not specify what happened to the remaining four drones.
On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the air force claimed that out of 267 Russian attack drones on the country, 138 were downed and another 119 disappeared from radars after being jammed by electronic warfare.
President Zelensky wrote on X: \u201cEvery day, our people stand against aerial terror.\u201d
\u201cOn the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale war, Russia launched 267 attack drones against Ukraine \u2014 the largest attack since Iranian drones began striking Ukrainian cities and villages.\u201d
Keir Starmer<\/a> didn\u2019t barn storm the White House \u2013 he barn-owled his way into the Oval Office wisely giving the big bird confidence enough to spread his wings in welcome.
Sir Keir\u2019s title has never mattered so much. He perched on a White House chair upholstered in gold and produced a letter embossed with the Royal crest from his breast pocket. It contained a letter of invitation for a second state visit to the United Kingdom, personally signed by King Charles II.<\/a>
The royal moniker was painted with a thick black broad nib the 47th president would recognize.
World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley reports.<\/em>
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his American counterpart Donald Trump are set to sign a critical minerals deal today.
The minerals agreement negotiated in recent days would open up Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include American security guarantees, a disappointment for Ukraine.
It gives Washington the right to recoup some of the billions of dollars in costs of the US weaponry supplied to Kyiv through a reconstruction investment fund tied to the sale of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Mr Trump also noted he was looking forward to meeting Mr Zelensky and praised the Ukrainian military for its bravery.
“We’re working very hard to get that war brought to an end. I think we’ve made a lot of progress, and I think it’s moving along pretty rapidly,” Mr Trump said.
“It’ll either be fairly soon or it won’t be at all,” he added, without elaboration.
British prime minister Keir Starmer<\/a> said he saw \u201cvalidity\u201d in Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s argument for pursuing a mineral deal with Ukraine<\/a> on the eve of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington to finalise it.<\/a>
<\/a>Sir Keir claimed that the US president\u2019s deal for highly valuable rare earth minerals would form \u201cat least one element\u201d of a security guarantee for Kyiv against Russia.
The prime minister used his Washington visit to push Mr Trump to provide security protections for Ukraine <\/a>and not abandon it as America attempted to find a quick end to the war.
\u201cI can see the value in the approach in relation to minerals,\u201d he said in an interview to NBC<\/a> on Thursday, shortly after addressing a press conference with Mr Trump.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his spies to block any efforts by Western leaders to disrupt his talks with US president, Donald Trump following their positive phone call.
Tass, the country’s news agency, reported that Moscow\u2019s Federal Security Service (FSB) was told to use “all means” to stop Western interests from wrecking the talks, according to The Mirror<\/em>.
Mr Putin reportedly told the FSB board in Moscow that some leaders did not welcome any dialogue between Russia and the US.<\/a>
Donald Trump<\/a> has said the minerals deal <\/a>he is set to sign with Ukraine<\/a> will act as the US \u201cbackstop\u201d being desperately sought after by European countries for a post-war Ukraine settlement, but has ruled out sending troops.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer<\/a>, Mr Trump explained that the presence of American workers and business interests in Ukraine would deter Russian forces from launching another attack.
\u201cWe’ll be working there. We have a lot of people working there. And so in that sense, it’s very good. It’s a backstop, you could say,\u201d he told reporters before leaving for lunch and a private meeting with the British entourage.
\u201cI don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers, and having to do with rare earths and other things which we need for our country,\u201d Mr Trump added.
The comments come ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, in which they are expected to finalise a critical minerals deal which will see Washington and Kyiv join forces in developing Ukraine\u2019s rare earth capacity.
But it falls short of what Sir Keir is looking for in his visit to the White House. Sir Keir will push Mr Trump to accept the proposal for a US backstop as part of the Anglo-French peacekeeping plan in the event that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is signed.
Ukraine’s leader will meet with president Donald Trump in Washington today at a pivotal moment for his country, one that hinges on whether he can persuade the US president to provide some form of backing from Washington for Ukraine’s security against any future Russian aggression.
During his trip to Washington, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s delegation is expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.
Though the deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, references the importance of Ukraine’s security, it leaves that to a separate agreement to be discussed between the two leaders \u2014 talks that are likely to commence today.
According to the preliminary economic agreement, seen by The Associated Press, the US and Ukraine will establish a co-owned, jointly managed investment fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50 per cent of future revenues from natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.
A more detailed agreement on establishing the fund will be drawn up once the preliminary one is signed.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer <\/a>said any eventual peace deal<\/a> to end Russia\u2019s three-year-old war against Ukraine<\/a> must not end up providing any sort of windfall for Moscow as he met with President Donald Trump<\/a> at the White House.
Speaking during a joint press conference<\/a> alongside Trump in the East Room following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Starmer recalled the Anglo-American alliance that brought about victory in Europe to end the Second World War, and said he welcomed what he described as Trump\u2019s \u201cdeep and personal commitment to bring peace and to stop the killing\u201d in Ukraine.
\u201cYou’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal, a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. That is the prize,\u201d he said.
Donald Trump<\/a> has said the minerals deal <\/a>he is set to sign with Ukraine<\/a> will act as the US \u201cbackstop\u201d being desperately sought after by European countries for a post-war Ukraine settlement, but has ruled out sending troops.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer<\/a>, Mr Trump explained that the presence of American workers and business interests in Ukraine would deter Russian forces from launching another attack.
\u201cWe’ll be working there. We have a lot of people working there. And so in that sense, it’s very good. It’s a backstop, you could say,\u201d he told reporters before leaving for lunch and a private meeting with the British entourage.
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