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Ukraine says it won't cede Donbas in any ceasefire deal
Ukraine will not cede the Donbas region to Russia as part of a ceasefire deal, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of this week’s talks between Russia and the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with United States President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump said last week that a peace deal would involve “swapping of territories” between Russia and Ukraine. “We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” said Zelenskyy. “If today we leave Donbas, from our fortifications, from our reliefs, from the heights that we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for preparing an offensive by the Russians. In a few years, Putin will have an open path to both the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions.” Zelenskyy has not been invited to the Alaska talks, although he will speak virtually with Trump and European leaders ahead of the meeting. Russia wants a peace deal to involve Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk region, part of the Donbas, according to Zelenskyy. The Trump administration has floated a proposal where current boundaries in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would remain
Ukraine
Svyrydenko nominated as next Ukraine Prime Minister
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recommended Economy Minister and first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, to become Prime Minister in a political shakeup for the war-torn country. In a post to X, Zelenskyy said he had a discussion with Svyrydenko about initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine. “I have proposed that Yulia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” he said. They discussed the ongoing war and the implementation of agreements with European and American partners reached during the Ukraine Recovery Conference. “We must swiftly implement everything that can strengthen the resilience of our state and society,” he said. “We also discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine’s economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production.” If Svyrydenko became Prime Minister, she would take over from Denys Shmyhal, who has been prime minister since 2020, making him the longest-serving Ukrainian head of government since the country gained independence from Moscow in 1991. Svyrydenko rose to prominence this year during negotiations around a rare minerals deal with the U.S. that nearly derail
Ukraine
Zelenskyy says he would step down if it achieved peace
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would be willing to step down if it would achieve long-term peace for the country, under a NATO alliance. The comment was made while speaking to press over the weekend, the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “If to achieve peace, you really need me to give up my post, I’m ready,” Zelenskyy said. “I can trade it for NATO.” This follows a recent declaration from United States President Donald Trump, who called his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator” and called on Ukraine to hold an election, but Ukrainian legislation prohibits elections during martial law. Kyiv has also been left reeling by Trump withdrawing U.S. support for Ukraine and his engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin over peace discussions, with Zelenskyy not invited to the table.
Ukraine
Talks: US, Russian officials discuss peace in Ukraine
United States and Russian officials held their first formal meeting in years for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine. Present at the meeting were U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. There were no Ukrainian officials at the meeting in Riyadh, and European allies were currently frozen out of the discussion. The U.S. and Russia said they would appoint high-level teams to end the war in Ukraine and are working to re-establish diplomatic channels. During the meeting, Rubio said they agreed upon four important principles to end the conflict. U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who was also present at the meeting, said they are looking forward to the best way to ensure ongoing peace in the two countries. “This needs to be a permanent end to the war and not a temporary end, as we’ve seen in the past,” he said. “We know just the practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory, and there is going to be a discussion of security guarantees.” In the past, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously stated that he wouldn’t agree to any deals made over his head. Both Zelensky and other European officials have discussed the possibilit
Ukraine
Starmer says Ukraine peace requires US 'backstop'
British prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said that peace in Ukraine would require the United States delivering a “backstop” to prevent further Russian attacks. The statements were made during an emergency meeting of Russian leaders at Élysée Palace, where they discussed concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is heading to Saudi Arabia to initiate peace talks with Russia alone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the talks by saying that Kyiv had no knowledge of them and would not be recognising any potential peace deal made without Ukrainian involvement. This follows recent comments from the U.S. defence secretary saying Europe would need handle the majority of its own defence from here on out, saying the States would no longer "tolerate an imbalanced relationship". Starmer seemed to agree that Europe would "have to do more" to defend against any possible security challenges Russia poses but he remained firm that peace in Ukraine would not be possible without the “backstop” from the U.S and that this “security guarantee was the only way to effectively deter Russia”. Starmer and Trump are due to meet in Washington DC next week where the British PM has promised to discuss “key elem

Ukraine
US VP Vance to meet Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Munich
According to reports from the Associated Press, senior U.S. administration is preparing to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this Friday. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to sit down with Zelensky to discuss Donald Trump’s push to see negotiations begin between Ukraine and Russia with an aim to put an end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The U.S. State Department announced Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will also visit Ukraine as part of a European tour. It's Vance’s first international visit since becoming vice president last month, where he will visit France and Germany over five days. On Thursday, Vance visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial ahead of the planned discussions. “I’ve read a lot about the Holocaust in books,” Vance said. “But being here, and seeing it up close in person, really drives home what unspeakable evil was committed and why we should be committed to ensuring that it never happens again.“ Joe Biden and Mike Pence also visited the memorial during their time in office. This comes as President Trump spoke separately with Russian President
Ukraine
Ukraine: Trump works with Putin, Zelenskyy for peace
United States President Donald Trump has been in talks with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia in an effort to negotiate ending the war between the countries. Trump said his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “highly productive”, and that they both agreed to wanting the millions of deaths taking place due to the Russia/Ukraine war to stop. “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s nations,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation.” After his conversation with Putin, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the phone and set up a meeting in Munich between Zelenskyy, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. “I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION,” Trump said. Zelenskyy confirmed the conversation with Trump and said he hopes these negotiations can bring the countries closer to peace. “I am grateful to th
Ukraine
Trump requests rare earth minerals from Ukraine
United States President Donald Trump said he wants Ukraine to support the U.S. with rare earth minerals as compensation for financially supporting the country’s war efforts against Russia. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Ukraine was willing, adding that he wants “equalisation” from Ukraine for Washington’s “close to US$300 billion” in support. "We're telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths," Trump said. "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things." It is unclear whether Trump was causing the term “rare earths” to refer to all types of critical minerals or just to rare earths. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals to make magnets that turn power into motion for electric vehicles, phones and other electronics and have no known substitutes. The U.S. Geological Society considers 50 minerals critical to the country’s economy and national defence, including several types of rare earths, nickel and lithium. Ukraine contains large deposits of uranium, lithium and titanium but none are considered to be among the world’s five biggest by volume. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been occurring