Ukraine

Washington’s demands for around $500 billion (€477 billion) in mineral wealth from Ukraine was initially rejected by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the grounds that the US hadn’t offered any security guarantees.

The first round of negotiations in Riyadh on Tuesday prompted European allies to rally around Volodymyr Zelenskyy, nervous about Trump’s perceived pivot to Moscow and fears that talks would take place without Ukraine’s direct involvement and favour Russia.

Polish President Andrzej Duda will meet with Donald Trump on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron will be in DC on Monday, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to be in the US on Thursday.

The French weekly news magazine Le Point, citing anonymous sources, reported that Trump may attend a parade in the Russian capital to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

As Sunday’s snap federal election nears, political parties are intensifying their efforts in the final stretch to drum up support.

The Hungarian government has asked the EU to refrain from any new initiatives that could undermine the Trump-led negotiations.

Donald Trump’s push to strike a deal between Russia and Ukraine has rattled Europeans and stoked fears their security will be irreparably weakened.

The wave of support for Zelenskyy comes after US President Donald Trump called him a ‘dictator’ and criticised the fact elections didn’t take place last year when his mandate expired, despite Ukraine being subject to martial law.

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz announced the two key European leaders will have a seat at the negotiating table after EU leaders raised the alarm over Donald Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

Despite the US president’s claims of low support, Zelenskyy’s approval rating reached 57% in February — higher than Trump’s own.