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Ukraine and the US have announced they have reached a vital minerals deal following months of sometimes fraught negotiations.
In Washington on Wednesday, the two countries said they signed an agreement on a joint fund to invest in Ukraine's reconstruction, with a draft saying Washington would get preferential access to new Ukrainian natural resources deals.
“In recognition of the significant financial and material support that the people of the United States have provided to the defense of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion, this economic partnership positions our two countries to ... accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery," the US Treasury Department said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi has said Russian forces have significantly increased the intensity of their fighting in eastern Ukraine just when president Vladimir Putin is publicly talking about wanting a ceasefire.
On Monday, the Russian president offered a temporary 72-hour ceasefire from 8-10 May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and allies in the Second World War.
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky says such limited truces are meaningless, and urged Mr Putin to agree to an immediate ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
At least three people were killed and 70 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, authorities say.
China approved use of mercenaries in Russia, US politicians say
US politicians have asked the State Department for details of Russia's use of Chinese fighters in its war in Ukraine, saying in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Moscow could employ Chinese mercenaries only with Beijing's "tacit approval".
Ukraine said earlier this month that its forces had captured two Chinese men in eastern Ukraine and that at least 155 Chinese nationals were fighting on the Russian side.
Arpan Rai1 May 2025 04:38
Canada PM Carney calls Zelensky to pledge support for Ukraine
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and underscored Canada's commitment to supporting Ukraine in achieving lasting peace and security, Mr Carney's office said.
Mr Zelensky congratulated the newly elected Canadian prime minister on his victory in Monday's vote, and the two leaders agreed that a durable peace can only be achieved with Ukraine at the table, the Canadian prime minister's office said in a statement.
Arpan Rai1 May 2025 04:33
US won't abandon peace talks, says Trump's special envoy
The US will not walk away from peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia despite growing frustration among president Donald Trump’s team, his special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
On being asked in an interview with Fox News if the US is ready to walk away from peace talks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Mr Kellogg said: “I don’t think so.”
The US secretary of state Marco Rubio has repeatedly warned that the US will walk away from a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia if either side doesn't allow progress.
He also noted that the Ukrainian side has shown willingness to meet halfway on a ceasefire deal with Russia, including de facto giving up territory to end the war.
"The Ukrainians have already said they're willing to give up the land... not de jure, forever, but de facto because the Russians actually occupy it... That's what they're willing to go to, they told me that last week," he said.
Arpan Rai1 May 2025 04:32
English (US) ·