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Ukraine has reached an agreement with the US to jointly develop its natural resources, according to sources familiar with the matter. This move could ease recent tensions with President Donald Trump and advance his administration’s goal of achieving a ceasefire with Russia. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is expected to recommend on Wednesday that the deal be signed, as reported by the sources, who requested anonymity while discussing private deliberations. President Zelenskyy plans to travel to the US on Friday,

US President Donald Trump stated on February 24 that he considers it realistic for Ukraine to reclaim some of its territories that are currently occupied by Russia, although it will be challenging. He clarified that this matter is part of the ongoing negotiations with Russia, which have recently commenced. “We’ll see. A lot of land has been seized, so we need to see how it unfolds. This is part of the negotiations,” he remarked. It should be noted that Trump

The European Commission has denied claims regarding a mineral agreement that was allegedly offered to Ukraine as an alternative to a similar agreement with the US, emphasizing that such cooperation has been ongoing for several years. Thomas Rainier, an EC spokesman, explained that since 2021, the EU has had an official partnership with Ukraine in critical raw materials, formalized by a memorandum of understanding. “It involves creating synergies between supply chains on both sides and, of course, providing advantages for

Reports on the latest mineral agreement draft indicate that the Trump administration views the agreement as a means to profit from American investment in Ukraine, which possesses vast untapped mineral resources. Ukrainian officials perceive the deal as an opportunity to prevent further deterioration of relations with the Trump administration and to establish a long-term partnership with the United States. On February 24, at a meeting with the French president at the White House, Trump mentioned that President Zelenskyy could visit

French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Donald Trump on February 24 in Washington, warned that “peace cannot mean surrender” for Kyiv. Macron supports President Zelenskyy visiting the White House, which could improve the two leaders’ relationship. According to the French president, “The scheme of the future negotiations to end the war should be the following: negotiations between the US and Russia and between the US and Ukraine. First, we need a ceasefire. I think this can be completed in

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France and Britain have created a plan to offer security guarantees to Ukraine, which may involve deploying European troops on Ukrainian soil. During a meeting with US President Donald Trump, Macron mentioned that the plan might include sending European troops to Ukraine, but they would “not necessarily be placed on the front lines”; instead, they would be in the country “as a guarantee.” Meanwhile, Germany is contemplating the establishment of a new fund to

Kateryna Rozhkova, Deputy Head of the National Bank, stated during FinYear 2025 that despite the numerous challenges Ukraine faced, the economy adapted and grew last year. “Last year’s GDP grew by about 3.4%. This is slightly lower than our forecasts, but it still represents growth. In the coming years, we expect the economy to continue growing at 3.6-4% per year. This growth will occur due to the restoration of consumer demand and the reconstruction of destroyed facilities. The onset of

According to the WSJ, Ukraine will receive weapons from the US throughout 2025, as former US President Biden, before leaving the White House, tried to ensure that Ukraine would be able to resist Russian aggression for as long as possible. To that end, his administration sent weapons from its arsenals to Ukraine and concluded contracts with US defense companies for the purchase of ammunition, air defense systems, vehicles, and other necessary military equipment. Mykola Beleskov, an analyst at Return Alive,

Some EU countries do not support the initiative proposed by top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas to send Ukraine up to €20B in military aid, although the idea has received broad support among governments. The plan will be considered at an emergency summit on March 6. The proposal provides that countries will contribute their share based on GDP. But Italy, Portugal and Spain are resisting this, as they want the EU to find some financing solution, whether Eurobonds or fiscal flexibility,

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated: “If Ukraine maintains the current pace of reforms, it will join the EU even before 2030. So let’s work and keep up the pace.” According to her, Ukraine’s accession “will become an important guarantee of Ukraine’s security in the future.” European Council President António Costa added that Ukraine is showing extraordinary progress by carrying out these reforms during the war. As stated earlier this week, the President of Lithuania proposed January 1

Support is still not unanimous among EU states for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets held in the EU and it is unlikely that a decision will be made in March, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. “For this, we need everyone’s support. And so far, we don’t have it. The work is ongoing,” she added. Kallas believes that in the end, the bloc’s countries will conclude that Russia, which started the war the war in Ukraine, should pay

Analysts note that by the end of 2024, state and state-guaranteed debt amounted to ₴6.98T, or $166.1B. Over the year, this amount increased by more than 26% in hryvnia and by 14% in foreign currency terms. The ratio of state debt to GDP stands at 87.9%. Even more, experts predict that this year the situation may worsen, with state debt expected to exceed 100% of GDP as Ukraine continues to actively seek external financing to cover its current $38B budget

The most troubled commercial real estate market has begun to recover in the war’s third year. The average vacancy rate in Kyiv’s business centers has dropped by 2.7% since the start of the year, and now sits at 22%. Last year, the absorption volume in the Kyiv office market matched 2020’s figures, only 4% lower than in 2021. This suggests that leasing activity has nearly reverted to pre-war market conditions, according to research by CBRE Ukraine. The total annual gross

Ukraine’s allies, who either arrived in Kyiv or participated online in a summit marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, have announced that they are increasing their support. Among the announcements from heads of state and government: Spain will provide a new €1B military assistance package within a year and will participate in the reconstruction effort. Sweden, as part of its 18th military assistance package, is allocating €100M for the purchase of air defense systems. Canada will supply Kyiv

This year should mark the beginning of genuine and reliable peace, President Zelenskyy stated on February 24, the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Putin will not grant us this peace as a gift; he will not offer it in exchange for anything. We must achieve peace through strength, wisdom, and unity in our cooperation with you,” the president remarked. In his view, security guarantees “are the key to peace” and can be supported by Ukraine’s current bilateral

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) bloc secured victory in the early elections to the Bundestag, garnering 28.5% of the vote. CDU leader Friedrich Merz intends to form a new government by April 20. He has also stated that a priority is achieving European independence from the US in defense matters. Merz proposes the creation of a new European defense alliance to replace NATO, which would include nuclear cooperation with France and the UK. The coalition that Merz will attempt to

The US President’s envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stated that Washington is considering utilizing the Istanbul  Communiqué as a basis for concluding a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Trump’s envoy also believes that achieving peace will require “concessions from both sides.” Simultaneously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov flew to Turkey to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and Ankara’s potential role in this process with US representatives. Turkey is prepared to mediate again, as it did at

Trump’s special representative, Steve Witkoff, anticipates an agreement being signed this week that will provide for US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. “President Trump sent Zelenskyy a signal, and he will no longer hesitate… and I believe you will see the agreement signed this week,” added Trump’s Middle Eastern envoy. Concerning the peace agreement, Witkoff stressed that any accord requires concessions from both sides: “whether territorial or economic.” The President of Ukraine’s administration denied reports that Ukraine has refused to

This was stated by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and co-authored by the foreign ministers of Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. The article notes that the Nordic and Baltic countries combined comprise the second largest global military donor to Ukraine after the US, which is a sobering thought. “How could it be that eight small Nordic countries are leading in such support? The future of European security hangs in the balance, so it is time for

The European Commission has proposed a new assistance package to expedite the integration of Ukraine’s energy market with its European counterpart, aiming for the electricity market’s full integration with the EU by spring 2027 and accelerating investment in renewable energy, enhancing its capacity by 1.5 GW. In collaboration with partners, the EC will assist in financing gas procurement, particularly through the Ukraine Facility. This will enable the creation of sufficient gas reserves to ensure the security of supply. The new