Ukraine-Russia war latest: US to host Kyiv team for minerals deal talks while Trump demands Putin stop bombing
Trump doesn’t ‘like the bombing’ and has called on Moscow to stop, after 20 were killed in a devastating strike on Kryvyi Rih
A Ukrainian team will visit Washington this week for crunch talks on a minerals deal, the first visit since the deal collapsed in dramatic fashion five weeks ago.
Volodymyr Zelensky was set to sign a framework agreement in late February before he was booted out of the White House, when a furious Donald Trump berated the Ukrainian president for not being thankful enough for US war assistance.
Since then, teams from Kyiv and Washington have been working to hash out a revised agreement - and to rebuild a broken relationship.
Washington has proposed a more expansive minerals deal which could give it access to valuable mineral resources, including titanium, lithium, and uranium, according to economy minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
But the deal has not yet been agreed by Ukraine and it is unclear exactly how close the two sides are to reaching an agreement.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has urged Russia to stop bombing Ukraine, after a ballistic missile strike in Kryvyi Rih killed 20, including nine children.,
“We are talking to Russia. We would like them to stop,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One. “I don’t like the bombing, the bombing goes on and on, and every week thousands of young people being killed.”
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Ukraine's deputy PM confirms delegation to visit Washington
A Ukrainian delegation will visit Washington for vital talks on a minerals deal, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has confirmed, after reports of the trip emerged earlier on Monday.
Kyiv is seeking to align with US legal frameworks and investment mechanisms during the talks, Oleksiy Chernyshov told reporters.
Russia is awaiting answers on a Ukraine ceasefire, says Kremlin
Vladimir Putin is ready to support a ceasefire but Moscow has not been give answers to Russia’s key issues, the Kremlin said on Monday.
There is a common understanding between Washington and Moscow that contacts should continue, Kremlin spokesmen Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
Ukraine and its allies have accused Moscow of deliberately delaying the ceasefire as it seeks further territorial gains.
Moscow claims control of village in Donetsk region
Russian troops have taken control of the settlement of Katerynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the defence ministry said according to Russian state news.
The Independent could not independently verify the report.
Russia will try to resolve US-Iran nuclear tensions, says Kremlin
Russia will do all it can to resolve tensions between the US and Iran around Tehran’s nuclear programme, the Kremlin has said.
Donald Trump recently warned Iran that it must reach a nuclear deal with the US if it wants to avoid being bombed.
Moscow has reiterated its previous offer to mediate between the two sides. Kremlin spokeman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday: "We are in constant consultations with our Iranian partners, including on the topic of the nuclear deal.
"This process will continue, including in the near future. And, of course, Russia is ready to make every effort, to do everything possible to contribute to this problem's resolution by political and diplomatic means."
In his first term, Mr Trump withdraw the US from a 2015 deal with Iran which placed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Russia losing nearly 150 soldiers per square mile claimed - Ukrainian military
Russian forces are losing an average of 146 soldiers, one tank and two armoured combat vehicles pieces per square kilometre claimed of Ukrainian territory in 2025, the Ukrainian military has said.
The calculations, carried out by the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, are based on the losses suffered by Moscow’s forces on the eastern front alone, during the first quarter of the year, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
How Ukraine’s 2.5-bn-year-old rock deposit became central to helping stop Russia
Ukraine’s minerals have become central to global geopolitics, with the US president, Donald Trump, seeking a deal with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to access them.
But what are these minerals exactly and why are they so sought after?
Ukraine is often recognised for its vast agricultural lands and industrial heritage, but beneath its surface lies one of the world’s most remarkable geological formations, the “Ukrainian Shield”.
This massive, exposed crystalline rock formed over 2.5 billion years ago, stretches across much of Ukraine. It represents one of Earth’s oldest and most stable continental blocks.
Munira Raji reports:
How a 2.5bn-year-old rock deposit became central to helping stop Russia’s invasion
Watch former MI6 chief and Rusi boss discuss Russia, Trump and the future of the West
Restarting Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be ‘unsafe’, Ukraine’s nuclear energy chief warns
Restarting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — currently occupied by Russia — would be unsafe and extremely difficult under wartime conditions, according to Ukraine’s nuclear energy chief, Petro Kotin.
He warned that restarting even one reactor during the war is “impossible” due to a lack of cooling water, personnel, and power.
If Ukraine regains control, it could take two months to two years to safely bring the plant back online after full demilitarisation and safety checks, the chief executive of Energoatom said, according to The Guardian.
Russia has said it intends to restart the plant when conditions allow, but experts have raised serious safety concerns, especially given the degraded infrastructure, risk of mines, and untrained staff.
In February this year, Alexey Likhachev, head of Russian nuclear operator Rosatom, said it would be restarted when “military and political conditions allow”.
Why does the US want Ukraine's minerals?
Munira Raji writes:
Ukraine is often recognised for its vast agricultural lands and industrial heritage, but beneath its surface lies one of the world’s most remarkable geological formations, the “Ukrainian Shield”.
This massive, exposed crystalline rock formed over 2.5 billion years ago, stretches across much of Ukraine. It represents one of Earth’s oldest and most stable continental blocks.
The formation has undergone multiple episodes of mountain building, the formation and movement of magma and other change throughout time.
These geological processes created favourable geological conditions for forming several mineral deposits including lithium, graphite, manganese, titanium and rare earth elements.
All these are now critical for modern industries and the global green energy transition.
Ukraine has deposits containing 22 of 34 critical minerals identified by the European Union as essential for energy security. This positions Ukraine among the world’s most resource-rich nations.
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