European leaders in Kyiv to mark three years of war, top US officials stay away
Ukraine hosted European leaders on Monday to mark three years of all-out war with Russia, while top U.S. officials stayed away in a clear illustration of President Donald Trump’s lurch towards Moscow since returning to power.
Still reeling from Trump calling President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a “dictator”, Kyiv said it was in the final stages of agreeing a deal with Washington to provide access to its mineral wealth.
“We hope both US and UA leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington the soonest to showcase our commitment for decades to come,” Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna wrote on X.
Meeting with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said Zelenskiy could travel to Washington this week or next to seal the minerals agreement, which he called “very close,” and suggested that the war in Ukraine could end within weeks. But he did not elaborate.
The minerals deal is at the heart of Kyiv’s bid to win U.S. support, but officials have wrangled over its wording in the shadow of an extraordinary war of words between Trump and Zelenskiy, who said the U.S. leader was living in a “disinformation bubble”.
Zelenskiy refused to sign an earlier draft as Washington sought $500 billion in natural wealth, protesting that Kyiv had received nowhere near that much U.S. aid and that the draft lacked the security guarantees Ukraine needs.
A Ukrainian government source told Reuters that Kyiv awaited U.S. feedback on the “final changes” it had sent. The source said the U.S. did not like the idea of including wording about providing security guarantees in the text.
“We see the issue of guarantees for the talks between presidents,” the source said.
‘WORRIED’ EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS
Zelenskiy welcomed a slew of European and other leaders to a summit in Kyiv to commemorate the start in 2022 of the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two when Moscow invaded Ukraine.
“This year should be the year of the beginning of a real, lasting peace. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not gift us this peace, nor will he give it to us in exchange for anything. We have to win peace with strength, wisdom and unity – with our cooperation,” Zelenskiy said.
The visitors to Kyiv on Monday included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and the leaders of Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
Leaders of Albania, Britain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey spoke by video link. There was no sign of U.S. representation.
Ukraine could join the European Union before 2030 if it continues the speed and quality of its reforms, von der Leyen said.
The European leaders rallied around Zelenskiy in speeches, calling for countries on the continent to step up support for Kyiv, while some spoke of the urgent need to increase defence spending.
European officials have been left flat-footed by Trump’s decisions to hold talks on ending the war in Ukraine with Russia, spurning both Kyiv and Europe, and by hisadministration’s warning that the United States was no longer primarily focused on Europe’s security.
“Worried” European foreign ministers said on Monday the region had entered a new era with Trump’s stunning reversal of decades of U.S. foreign policy, but that they still hoped the relationship with Washington could endure.
“It’s clear that the statements coming from (the) United States make us all worried,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
But she added that Europe and the United States had worked out their differences before “and we also expect to do so this time”.
TRUMP WILLING TO GO TO MOSCOW
Rival texts at the United Nations on Monday further pitted the U.S. against Ukraine and European allies.
The United States was forced to abstain in a United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution it drafted to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine after the 193-member body agreed to amendments proposed by European states.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he spoke to Group of Seven leaders on Monday alongside Macron, noting that everyone on the call expressed the goal of seeing Russia’s war in Ukraine end. He said he would be willing to go to Moscow.
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In a post on Truth Social after the call, Trump said he was also in “serious discussions” with Putin about ending the war and “major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia.”
Macron, meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, said Europe was prepared to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, including peacekeepers, in the event of a ceasefire.
Washington has made clear it will not send troops as a security guarantee coveted by Kyiv if a peace deal emerges, placing the burden on European powers that are likely to struggle without U.S. backing.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and more than six million live as refugees abroad since Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air.
Military losses have been catastrophic, although they remain closely guarded secrets. Public Western estimates based on intelligence reports vary widely, but most say hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded on each side.
Russia launched 185 drones against Ukraine overnight but caused no significant damage, the Ukrainian air force said. Kyiv said it had hit Russia’s Ryazan refinery, continuing its campaign to degrade its enemy’s oil infrastructure.
