US and Ukraine ‘preparing to sign minerals deal on Tuesday’
U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal, people familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Trump has told his advisers he wants to announce the agreement in his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, three of the sources said, cautioning that the deal had yet to be signed and the situation could change.
The deal was put on hold on Friday after a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that resulted in the Ukrainian leader’s swift departure from the White House.
Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign the deal.
Key events
Meanwhile, Britain’s foreign secretary has reiterated European allies’ determination to strike a peace deal for Ukraine.
In a post on X on Tuesday, David Lammy said he had spoken to his counterparts in France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain about Ukraine and that their support was unwavering:
“We will step up and we are stepping up – together.”
His post comes as late on Tuesday, both Ukraine and the US appeared to be once again close to signing a critical minerals deal that the White House has indicated is a precursor to peace talks. Reuters has reported that US president Donald Trump could announce such an agreement in a speech to both houses of Congress on Tuesday night.
Coming just hours after the US halted military aid for Ukraine, the latest developments underline the chaotic nature of the relationship between Kyiv and Washington under Trump.
A spokesperson for US vice-president JD Vance appeared to double down on his much-criticized remark describing a planned European peacekeeping force in Ukraine as 20,000 troops from some “random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
Vance was accused of being disrespectful to the UK and France. Several British politicians called the comments “deeply disrespectful” and Vance a “clown” while French president Emmanuel Macron’s party said France “deserved better”.
Now a spokesperson for Vance, Taylor Van Kirk, said no country in Europe had the military resources to meaningfully deter Russia without American assistance.
Van Kirk said on Tuesday: “Many of these countries have served valiantly in support of American and Nato missions in the past, but it’s dishonest to pretend those contributions amount to anything comparable to the mobilization that a hypothetical European army would need.”
Vance had told Fox News on Monday that the best way to ensure peace in Ukraine was to open up Ukraine’s minerals to the US.
“If you want to actually ensure that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” he said. “That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, has written about Europe’s dwindling hopes that Donald Trump can still be persuaded to take a different view of the war in Ukraine.
He writes:
At moments in history like these when there is simply too much head-spinning change and too many postwar assumptions being ripped from their mooring, it sometimes appears too much for any human to absorb, let alone offer a response.
In particular the weeks between JD Vance’s speech to the Munich security conference to the moment when Donald Trump cut off all US military aid to Ukraine, a concept is being tested – and possibly to destruction – that the US president remains open to European persuasion.
For many, the consequences of viewing Trump as more allied with Russia than Europe has simply been too momentous to contemplate. The belief in a close relationship between western Europe and the US that has dominated government policy in, for instance, Helsinki, Berlin, London and Rome is being put under intolerable strain.
German ‘debt brake’ plan could boost defence spending by €500bn
The prospective partners in Germany’s next government said they will seek to loosen rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending.
They said they will also seek to set up a huge €500bn ($533bn ) fund to finance spending on Germany’s infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Center-right election winner Friedrich Merz, who is trying to put together a coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats of the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said the two sides will propose exempting spending of more than 1% of gross domestic product on defence from rules that limit the government’s ability to borrow money.
“In view of the increasing threat situation, it is clear to us that Europe – and with Europe, the Federal Republic of Germany – must now very quickly make very big efforts very quickly to strengthen the defence capability of our country and the European continent,” Merz told reporters at a hastily convened news conference.
“We are counting on the United States of America standing by our mutual alliance commitments in the future as well,” he said. “But we also know that the funding for the defence of our country and alliance must now be expanded significantly.”
The necessary decisions “no longer tolerate any delay, at the latest since the most recent decisions by the American government,” Merz said.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praised Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “keeping a cool head in very difficult circumstances”.
In a post on X referring to the Ukrainian leader’s earlier message, Badenoch said: “A good statement from President Zelensky who is keeping a cool head in very difficult circumstances.
“He wants peace, but some define that as simply an immediate end to fighting. It needs to be much more than that – a long-term peace guarantee. This requires both the US and Ukraine at the negotiating table.
“It will be a lot easier to do that if the criticisms of both Ukraine and the US from various commentators are sparing and focused on material issues.
“This matters for the UK’s national interest. If the US withdraws from this process, or if Ukraine fails to get peace, the cost to the UK in terms of national security, possible troop deployment as well as taxpayers’ money will be significantly increased.”
Earlier, Holyrood’s presiding officer said she will be “proud” to extend an open invitation to Zelenskyy to address the Scottish Parliament.
MSP Alison Johnstone was speaking following calls by veteran Scottish Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw for the invitation to be extended to the Ukrainian premier.
Johnstone, who as part of her role controls invitations to the Parliament, said: “On behalf of all parliamentarians, I will be proud to extend an open invitation to President Zelenskyy to address the Scottish Parliament.
“The Parliament has been steadfast in its support for Ukraine. This morning I discussed this matter with all party leaders.”
The matter of security guarantees that could be given to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal to discourage Vladimir Putin from reinvading has been a key topic in discussions.
Sir John Sawers, the former chief of MI6, told LBC there could be “border incursions into the Baltic states” as a test of Nato Article 5 resilience.
He said: “I think we’ll see more targeted attacks against undersea cables and maybe gas pipelines, just to unnerve the Europeans.
“And we might see some border incursions into the Baltic states, for example, just to test whether Article 5 is still there.”
Lisa O’Carroll
Ireland has announced it will contribute a further €100 million to provide non-lethal military support to Ukraine.
Some €20m will be given to de-mining and IT coalitions with a further €80m into an EU procurement fund for radar and anti-drone jamming devices among other supports.
Ireland has previously contributed €250m through a European peace facility fund but as it operates political neutrality the money has been ringfenced for non-lethal aid including land mine clearances and fuel.
Deputy prime minister Simon Harris said: “We will also continue to work with our EU and international partners towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on Ukraine’s terms, based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and with justice and accountability at its heart.”
US and Ukraine ‘preparing to sign minerals deal on Tuesday’
U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal, people familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Trump has told his advisers he wants to announce the agreement in his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, three of the sources said, cautioning that the deal had yet to be signed and the situation could change.
The deal was put on hold on Friday after a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that resulted in the Ukrainian leader’s swift departure from the White House.
Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign the deal.
After Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats announced proposals on Tuesday to set up a 500 billion euro fund for infrastructure and overhaul borrowing rules in order to increase defence spending, leaders of both parties told reporters recent events in the U.S. put pressure on them to act.
U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen military aid to Ukraine after a clash with its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
“In view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent, whatever it takes must now also apply to our defence,” said Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU/CSU conservatives.
“We are counting on the United States of America to continue to stand by our mutual alliance obligations in the future. But we also know that the resources for our national and alliance defence must now be significantly expanded.”
Merz said the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary group would submit a motion to the Bundestag lower house of parliament next week to amend the constitution so that defence expenditure above 1% of economic output is exempt from the debt brake.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had instructed his defence minister and other officials to secure precise information on military supplies after the U.S. announced it was pausing assistance.
“I have instructed Ukraine’s minister of defence, intelligence chief and diplomats to contact their counterparts in the United States and obtain official information,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“People should not be left to guess.”
He said maintaining a “normal, partnership relationship with America is crucial for truly ending the war. None of us wants an endless war.”
Merz added he would be speaking with chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday about additional aid for Ukraine.
“We are aware of the scale of the tasks ahead of us, and we want to take the first necessary steps and decisions,” Merz said.
Merz added that all defence spending above one per cent of GDP would be exempt from the debt brake restrictions and he has informed the Greens and FDP parties of the proposals.
