Ukraine

President Donald Trump … is on the brink of clinching a deal that would give the U.S. preferential access to Ukraine’s extensive raw material reserves. But Trump might end up getting less than he bargained for. Estimates of Ukraine’s supposed mineral wealth are based on outdated Soviet-era surveys that didn’t take into account the viability or cost of developing them.

President Donald Trump … is on the brink of clinching a deal that would give the U.S. preferential access to Ukraine’s extensive raw material reserves. But Trump might end up getting less than he bargained for. Estimates of Ukraine’s supposed mineral wealth are based on outdated Soviet-era surveys that didn’t take into account the viability or cost of developing them.

The updated joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment commissioned by the Ukrainian Government, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the UN, comes as Russia’s full-scale invasion enters its fourth year. It covers damage incurred since intensified conflict erupted on 24 February 2022 through to 31 December 2024.

The Kremlin has declined to confirm a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump saying Russia is ready to "accept" European troops in Ukraine as part of a peace deal, although it left room for a potential agreement. 

After U.S. President Donald Trump had lashed out at Ukraine’s leader on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was preparing for a meeting on Thursday with Trump's envoy in Kyiv to work toward "a lasting peace" with Russia.

US President Donald Trump said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in which they agreed to “immediately” start negotiations to end the Ukraine war.

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has welcomed a major step forward in Brussels today towards creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe. The 13th meeting of the international Core Group* of senior legal experts laid down the legal foundations of the Special Tribunal, including key elements of its statute.

The Kremlin said on Monday it was too early to discuss a potential four-way peace talks format proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and restated its concerns about his electoral mandate. Zelenskiy told the Associated Press news agency in an interview published on Saturday that he favoured four-way talks between the United States, Ukraine, Russia and the European Union and said it would be "very dangerous" for Washington and Moscow to hold talks about ending the war in his country that did not involve Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has again ruled out direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he called "illegitimate," prompting the Ukrainian leader to accuse Putin of being "afraid" of negotiating a settlement to the almost 3-year-old war.

Donald Trump has warned he will impose high tariffs and further sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin fails to end the war in Ukraine. Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, he said that by pushing to settle the war he was doing Russia and its president a "very big favour".