Ukraine war news live: Putin would keep his word on peace, says Trump

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his spies to block any efforts by Western leaders to disrupt his talks with US president, Donald Trump following their positive phone call.

Tass, the country’s news agency, reported that Moscow’s Federal Security Service (FSB) was told to use “all means” to stop Western interests from wrecking the talks, according to The Mirror.

Mr Putin reportedly told the FSB board in Moscow that some leaders did not welcome any dialogue between Russia and the US.

Donald Trump has said the minerals deal he is set to sign with Ukraine will act as the US “backstop” being desperately sought after by European countries for a post-war Ukraine settlement, but has ruled out sending troops.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Trump explained that the presence of American workers and business interests in Ukraine would deter Russian forces from launching another attack.

“We’ll be working there. We have a lot of people working there. And so in that sense, it’s very good. It’s a backstop, you could say,” he told reporters before leaving for lunch and a private meeting with the British entourage.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers, and having to do with rare earths and other things which we need for our country,” Mr Trump added.

The comments come ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, in which they are expected to finalise a critical minerals deal which will see Washington and Kyiv join forces in developing Ukraine’s rare earth capacity.

But it falls short of what Sir Keir is looking for in his visit to the White House. Sir Keir will push Mr Trump to accept the proposal for a US backstop as part of the Anglo-French peacekeeping plan in the event that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is signed.

Ukraine’s leader will meet with president Donald Trump in Washington today at a pivotal moment for his country, one that hinges on whether he can persuade the US president to provide some form of backing from Washington for Ukraine’s security against any future Russian aggression.

During his trip to Washington, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s delegation is expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.

Though the deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, references the importance of Ukraine’s security, it leaves that to a separate agreement to be discussed between the two leaders — talks that are likely to commence today.

According to the preliminary economic agreement, seen by The Associated Press, the US and Ukraine will establish a co-owned, jointly managed investment fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50 per cent of future revenues from natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.

A more detailed agreement on establishing the fund will be drawn up once the preliminary one is signed.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said any eventual peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old war against Ukraine must not end up providing any sort of windfall for Moscow as he met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Speaking during a joint press conference alongside Trump in the East Room following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Starmer recalled the Anglo-American alliance that brought about victory in Europe to end the Second World War, and said he welcomed what he described as Trump’s “deep and personal commitment to bring peace and to stop the killing” in Ukraine.

“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal, a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. That is the prize,” he said.

Donald Trump has said the minerals deal he is set to sign with Ukraine will act as the US “backstop” being desperately sought after by European countries for a post-war Ukraine settlement, but has ruled out sending troops.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Trump explained that the presence of American workers and business interests in Ukraine would deter Russian forces from launching another attack.

“We’ll be working there. We have a lot of people working there. And so in that sense, it’s very good. It’s a backstop, you could say,” he told reporters before leaving for lunch and a private meeting with the British entourage.

Sir Keir and Donald Trump met in the White House for the first time since last month’s inauguration with an agenda that included issues from securing lasting peace in Ukraine to tariffs and a potential US-UK trade deal.

Prime minister Keir Starmer used a visit to Washington on Thursday to press President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine as he looks to find a quick endgame to Russia’s bloody invasion of its neighbour.

The British premier started the visit by delivering an invitation from King Charles III to come to Scotland for a “historic” state visit — noting it was an “unprecedented” honour since Mr Trump already had been given the royal treatment by Queen Elizabeth II during his first term.

“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal – a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world,” Sir Keir told Mr Trump.

“That is the prize. But we have to get it right.”

Mr Trump said that talks to end the grinding war are “very well advanced” but also cautioned that there is only a narrow window to get a deal done.

“If it doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all,” Mr Trump warned.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday said any eventual peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old war against Ukraine must not end up providing any sort of windfall for Moscow as he met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Speaking during a joint press conference alongside Trump in the East Room following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Starmer recalled the Anglo-American alliance that brought about victory in Europe to end the Second World War, and said he welcomed what he described as Trump’s “deep and personal commitment to bring peace and to stop the killing” in Ukraine.

“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal, a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. That is the prize,” he said.

But Starmer warned that the U.S. and U.K. “have to get it right” when it comes to hammering out terms of any settlement, invoking the British call to “win the peace” after the hard-win victory over Hitler.

“That’s what we must do now, because it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor or that gives encouragement to regimes like Iran,” he said, adding later that both he and Trump agree that history “must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.”

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said an economic framework agreement with Ukraine was complete, covering critical minerals, oil and gas and infrastructure assets.

Mr Bessent told Fox Business that Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and president Donald Trump would sign the deal today, with no more negotiations on that issue.

“It is a deal on strategic minerals, oil and gas and infrastructure assets. And it’s really a win-win,” Mr Bessent said.

“It shows the American people that there is upside here for them. That we have not squandered the money.”