Ukraine-Russia war latest: US ‘on brink’ of rare earth minerals deal with Kyiv on third anniversary of war – UK Times

There was a stark contrast between the messages to Donald Trump brought by Canada’s Justin Trudeau and UK PM Sir Keir Starmer to the Support Ukraine 2025 Summit.

Addressing gathered delegates in person and online, who included Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Trudeau opened his remarks with a stark rebuke to the US president, who has accused the Ukrainian of being a dictator and having started the war.

The Canadian PM said: “Thank you Volodymyr, for your courageous leadership as the duly elected democratic leader of this great nation.

“Let us be frank, you and the Ukrainian people should never have had to endure even a single day of this unjustified brutal war… this is not a conflict Ukraine wanted, provoked or asked for.”

Sir Keir by contrast took a much more diplomatic approach with his speech, refusing to criticise Mr Trump for his recent outbursts against Mr Zelensky, and using it to call for the Americans to provide a “backstop” to guarantee any peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

Sir Keir Starmer has repeated his calls for Donald Trump to provide a “backstop” to keep the peace in Ukraine when Vladimir Putin’s invasion comes to an end.

Speaking to world leaders on a call to mark the third anniversary of the full-scale war, the prime minister won applause from other delegates for promising to “always stand with Ukraine and our allies against this aggression”.

“If Ukraine fails, Europe will be next, and that is what is at stake here,” Sir Keir warned, repeating the words said to him by an injured soldier in Kyiv.

But, piling pressure on Mr Trump to play a lasting role in any peace deal, Sir Keir said: “The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground, with other Europeans, and with the right conditions in place, and ultimately, a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years time.”

Mr Trump has previously ruled out playing an ongoing role in the defence of Ukraine, urging European allies to do more to protect the continent themselves.

Political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:

“And that is a matter that no doubt will be considered at the point at which the conflict in Ukraine has been concluded. And we need to get to that point as quickly as we possibly can,” Mr Jarvis told Times Radio.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised a fresh round of sweeping sanctions on Russia on the third anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.

The UK and its allies must “keep dialling up the economic pressure to get Putin to a point where he is ready not just to talk, but to make concessions” Sir Keir said in a remote address to a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Kyiv.

Sir Keir said he would encourage G7 counterparts to take on larger risk in relation to the oil price cap, sanctioning Russian oil giants and going after banks that enable sanctions evasion.

Keir Starmer is in diplomacy mode again, as he gives a virtual address at the meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Kyiv.

He did not follow Trudeau in stressing that Zelensky is democratically elected.

“President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity,” Sir Keir said.

“Now we must get the fundamentals right in the world if we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.”

But Sir Keir did say a US backstop “will be vital” to keep the peace, something Trump has said no to.

And he repeated a warning from a soldier he visited in a burns unit in Kyiv: “If Ukraine fails, Europe will be next, that is what is at stake here.”

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has called on countries to “spare no effort” in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

We must “achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” he told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

His remarks come ahead of a UN showdown on Ukraine later on Monday in New York, with the United States urging the General Assembly to support its resolution which it says is focused on ending the war and pits it against a rival text by Ukraine and European allies.

The motion includes the UN demand that Russia withdraw its troops and halt hostilities.

Washington left its seat at the human rights council empty on Monday, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to disengage from the body which is the only intergovernmental organisation designed to protect human rights.

Thirteen-year-old Liza watched on as her home was destroyed by a Russian warplane during the liberation of her hometown in September 2022.

“I was happy, I had my happy childhood, and it never came back.”

Read 15-year-old Liza and 12-year-old Oleksandr’s stories:

Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese president Xi Jinping by phone on the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin briefed Mr Xi on recent contacts between Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia last week, the Kremlin said, where Moscow says they agreed with the White House to start work on restoring bilateral ties and preparing for Ukraine peace talks.

Mr Xi expressed his support for the dialogue between Moscow and Washington and said China was ready to help find a peace settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin added.

It is the second call the leaders have held this year. Since the war began in February 2022, Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for its invasion.

Ukraine and the US are in the final stages of negotiations in a deal for Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Kyiv’s deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna said.

Ms Stefanishyna said in a post on X Kyiv was committed to completing the deal as “swiftly as possible” – before deleting the post minutes later.

Ukraine has offered to sign the deal in Washington, D.C in a meeting between the two presidents, the post added.

It comes days after the White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Ukraine would sign the deal in the “very short term”.

Ukraine had previously rejected US president Donald Trump’s demands for $500 billion of profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals to compensate for its wartime loans.

This figure is far higher than the total support provided to Kyiv by the White House, Ukraine said.