Zelenskyy hints at ‘intensive’ talks with Trump as US, Ukraine discuss peace deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not confirmed that helium volition conscionable with U.S. President Donald Trump adjacent week but said the coming weeks whitethorn beryllium "very intensive successful diplomacy."

Trump said connected Feb. 7 that helium is apt to conscionable with Zelenskyy adjacent week. The tract of the gathering "could beryllium Washington," helium said, adding that helium would not beryllium going to Kyiv.

He besides said helium would "probably" beryllium speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon but did not springiness a clip frame. Zelenskyy said it is important that helium and Trump conscionable successful idiosyncratic earlier the U.S. president meets with Putin.

Zelenskyy did not corroborate a gathering with Trump but said diplomacy would beryllium ramping up.

"The coming weeks whitethorn beryllium precise intensive successful diplomacy, and we volition bash what’s needed to marque this clip effectual and productive. We ever admit moving with President Trump," helium said soon aft Trump spoke.

"Weʼre besides readying meetings and talks astatine the teams’ level. Right present Ukrainian and American teams are moving retired the details. A solid, lasting bid shall go closer."

In his comments earlier astatine the White House, the U.S. president reiterated that helium is funny successful tying continued subject assistance to entree to Ukraine's earthy materials.

"One of the things we're looking astatine with President Zelenskyy is having the information of their assets. They person assets underground, uncommon world and different things, but chiefly uncommon earth," helium said.

"We're looking to bash a woody with Ukraine wherever they're going to unafraid what we're giving them with their uncommon earths and different things,” Trump said connected Feb. 3.

He said connected Feb. 7 that the United States wants "an adjacent magnitude of something" successful speech for U.S. support. “We would similar them to equalize," Trump said.

More than 4 twelve minerals, including respective types of uncommon earths, nickel, and lithium, are considered captious to the U.S. system and nationalist defense. Ukraine has ample deposits of uranium, lithium, and titanium.

Ukraine floated the thought of opening its captious minerals to concern by allies past twelvemonth erstwhile it presented its program to extremity the warfare and present suggests it could beryllium unfastened to a deal.

"If we are talking astir a deal, past let's bash a deal. We are lone for it," Zelenskyy said connected Feb. 7, emphasizing Ukraine's request for information guarantees from its allies arsenic portion of immoderate colony of the war.

"Strong information ever has galore elements, and each 1 matters," helium said connected X. "Ukraine possesses immoderate of the largest strategical assets reserves successful Europe, and protecting Ukraine besides means protecting these resources."

Less than 20% of Ukraine's mineral resources, including astir fractional its uncommon world deposits, are nether Russian occupation, Zelenskyy said successful an interrogation with Reuters published connected Feb. 7. Moscow could unfastened those resources to North Korea and Iran if it maintains its clasp connected the territories.

"We request to halt Putin and support what we person -- a precise affluent Dnipro region, cardinal Ukraine," helium told Reuters.

Zelenskyy is apt to further sermon the thought with allies adjacent week astatine the Munich Security Conference.

Trump's peculiar envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said this week helium plans to be the conference, but denied a study that helium volition contiguous Trump’s program for ending the warfare successful Ukraine astatine the gathering, which starts Feb. 14.

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's main of staff, said helium had spoken to Kellogg astir the battlefield situation, the information of Ukrainian civilians, and meetings astatine the yearly information conference. He besides said Ukraine is looking guardant to Kellogg’s sojourn aboriginal this month.

Some accusation for this study came from Reuters and dpa.