Trump confirms: Zelenskyj will come to Washington on Friday
The Ukrainian President is expected to sign the negotiated raw materials deal between the two countries during his visit to the USA.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will receive his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Friday. "President Zelensky will come on Friday, that is now confirmed," Trump said on Wednesday at his first cabinet meeting. The Ukrainian president is expected to sign the raw materials deal agreements.
The USA and Ukraine agreed on the first general points of the minerals agreement on February 25. "It is too early to talk about money, because this is a framework agreement," said Zelenskyj in Kiev, according to the news agency Interfax-Ukraine. A real contract will follow later. "This will be more difficult and more serious, because the next contract is about the fund," he explained. The negotiations on the raw materials deal fueled tensions between Trump and Zelenskyj last week.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president again rejected a ceasefire without security guarantees for his country. "We must all understand that there will be no ceasefire if Ukraine does not have security guarantees," said the head of state at a press conference in Kyiv. The war will only end if there is certainty that it "will not start again tomorrow," said Zelensky. He will also address this at the meeting with Trump.
Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump in Washington on ThursdayBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be received by Trump in Washington on Thursday. Starmer wants to convince the US President of the need for security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia . However, the British Prime Minister will not take a confrontational approach. Britain is keen to maintain good relations with Trump and the USA. The United Kingdom has been the link between the USA and Europe for many years and it is crucial that Britain continues to play this role, said Starmer.
Shortly before his trip, Starmer announced an increase in British defense spending from 2.3 percent to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron had already discussed Trump's planned negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Macron then spoke of a "common" path with Trump. However, there are still major differences between the USA and Europe on key points. The USA no longer describes Russia as an "aggressor" in the war. It is also uncertain to what extent Ukraine and the Europeans will be involved in the negotiations between Trump and Putin. There is also uncertainty about the security of a possible European peacekeeping force by the USA. (with dpa/AFP)
Berliner-zeitung
