Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says US ‘constantly changing' terms of rare earth deal

Independent

28-03-2025

Volodymyr Zelensky has said the US is constantly changing the terms of a key minerals agreement as part of peace deal, expressing frustration over lack of a final agreement on Ukraine 's rare earth deal pitched by Washington.
'At the end of the day, they constantly change the terms. I am not going to Washington because there's no issue on the agenda,' Mr Zelensky said after the Leaders' Summit on Support for Ukraine in France
Donald Trump has intensified his demands for US control over Ukraine 's rare minerals and energy assets, according to a fresh proposal seen by multiple media outlets.
The new deal would see the US receive all royalties from such assets until Ukraine has paid off at least $100bn of war debt to the US, and hand Kyiv just 50 per cent thereafter, while giving the US a veto over the sale of any such assets to other nations, according to reports.
It came as Emmanuel Macron announced that a British-French military delegation will be sent to Ukraine to scout Kyiv 's needs and what can be done to support its army – and that troops would be deployed as a 'reassurance force' to uphold any potential peace deal agreed with Russia.
Zelensky says US 'constantly changing' terms of rare earth deal
Volodymyr Zelensky has said the US is constantly changing the terms of a key minerals agreement as part of peace deal, expressing frustration over lack of a final agreement on Ukraine 's rare earth deal pitched by Washington.
'At the end of the day, they constantly change the terms. I am not going to Washington because there's no issue on the agenda,' Mr Zelensky said after the Leaders' Summit on Support for Ukraine in France.
The Trump administration has proposed a new, more expansive minerals deal with Ukraine, according to three people familiar with the ongoing negotiations and a summary of a draft proposal obtained by Reuters.
Mr Trump has said a minerals deal will help secure a peace agreement by giving the United States a financial stake in Ukraine's future.
Arpan Rai28 March 2025 04:23
'Reassurance force' is part of a 'spectrum of options', says No 10
A 'reassurance force' for Ukraine is part of a 'spectrum of options' being considered by the so-called 'coalition of the willing', Downing Street has said.
A No 10 spokesperson said: 'Military planning has started in earnest. We have teams working on air, sea and land as well as rebuilding the Ukrainian army. This will in the end depend on what is agreed in the peace deal.'
Asked how a 'reassurance force' would differ from a peacekeeping force, he said: 'I think there is a spectrum of options and what you will see next week is senior British and French military leaders going to Ukraine to discuss with the Ukrainian military how this will work in practice.
'This will look both at rebuilding the Ukrainian military and how the reassurance force will work.'
Arpan Rai28 March 2025 04:10
Full report: Starmer and Macron to send military chiefs to Ukraine to plan for future ceasefire
Britain and France will send a joint military delegation to Ukraine to develop plans to enforce any future ceasefire deal, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The prime minister, speaking after a summit in Paris, revealed army chiefs from France and the UK will assess Kyiv's needs and how they can uphold peace should an agreement be struck.
Sir Keir also called for a deadline for Russia to come to the negotiating table, adding: 'We need to see this developing in days and weeks, not months and months'.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports from Paris:
Starmer and Macron to send military chiefs to Ukraine to plan for future ceasefire
It came as the prime minister hinted a ceasefire could be agreed in 'weeks not months'
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 04:00
US to provide short-term funding for programme tracking abducted Ukrainian children
US officials have said that short-term funding was being given to an initiative documenting abducted Ukrainian children, after Republican president Donald Trump's administration decided to pause the program on 25 January.
The US government-funded initiative led by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab helped track thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
The decision to terminate the programme, called the Ukraine Conflict Observatory, came after Trump ordered a broad review to prevent what he says is wasteful spending of US taxpayer dollars with causes that do not align with American interests.
Ukraine says that more than 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory during the war in Ukraine without the consent of family or guardians, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.
Arpan Rai28 March 2025 03:49
Putin claims his troops achieving military goals in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin said Russia was steadily moving forward to achieving the goals it had set out in its Ukraine operation.
Russia, Mr Putin said, was in favour of "peaceful solutions to any conflict, including this one, through peaceful means, but not at our expense".
"Throughout the entire line of military contact, our troops are holding the strategic initiative," Mr Putin said.
"We are gradually – perhaps not as quickly as some might like – but still persistently and with confidence moving towards achieving the goals set out at the beginning of this operation," the agencies quoted him as saying.
28 March 2025 03:26
Netherlands to speed up release of aid to Ukraine
The Netherlands will speed up the release of its promised €3.5bn euros of support for Ukraine and will send €2bn this year instead of in 2026, a spokesperson for Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said on Thursday.
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 03:01
Putin asks for temporary administration in Ukraine administration
Vladimir Putin suggested Ukraine be placed under a form of temporary administration, by removal of the current Volodymyr Zelensky administration, to allow for new elections and the signature of key accords to reach a settlement in the war, Russian news agencies reported early today.
"In principle, of course, a temporary administration could be introduced in Ukraine under the auspices of the UN, the United States, European countries and our partners," Mr Putin was quoted as saying in talks with seamen at the port.
"This would be in order to hold democratic elections and bring to power a capable government enjoying the trust of the people and then to start talks with them about a peace treaty," he said.
Moscow has wrongly claimed that the Zelensky administration in Kyiv is 'illegitimate' as they did not hold elections last year. However, the Ukrainian constitution says no elections can be held in a war-time period and while the country is under martial law.
Mr Putin also appreciated Donald Trump's efforts to proceed with direct talks with Russia – in contrast with his predecessor Joe Biden, who shunned contacts – showed the new president wanted peace.
"In my opinion, the newly elected president of the United States sincerely wants an end to the conflict for a number of reasons," the agencies quoted him as saying.
Arpan Rai28 March 2025 02:58
White House says Ukrainians determine governance of Ukraine
Governance in Ukraine is determined by its constitution and the people of the country, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said on Thursday.
The White House official was responding to question on reported remarks by Russian president Vladimir Putin suggesting a temporary administration for Ukraine.
In the early hours today, Russian president Vladimir Putin suggested Ukraine be placed under a form of temporary administration to allow for new elections and the signature of key accords to reach a settlement in the war, Russian news agencies reported.
Arpan Rai28 March 2025 02:43
Italy's Meloni says US should be invited to future talks after Paris summit
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said Washington should be invited to future talks, her office said, as European and Nato leaders met in Paris to discuss a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 02:01
'Premature' to discuss sending troops to Ukraine, says Czech PM
As Ukraine's European allies discuss a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, some Ehave baulked at the prospect of sending troops without US guarantees and an international mandate.
'The debate on sending troops from concrete countries is premature,' Czech prime minister Petr Fiala told reporters.
'The idea still is that, if we debate something like that in Europe, there should be some kind of a safeguard from the United States.'
Andy Gregory28 March 2025 01:01