Zelenskyy expected to sign minerals deal with US during Trump talks – Europe live

The relationship between Zelenskyy and Trump is so fraught that French media are reporting that the US president even allegedly considered cancelling the visit altogether – only to be persuaded by French president Emmanuel Macron. BFMTV claimed, quoting a diplomatic source, that Trump’s team told Ukraine on Wednesday that the meeting was going to get cancelled, prompting Zelenskyy to speak with Macron, who intervened on his behalf.

Ultimately, the invite was back on the table and so we are expecting to see Zelenskyy at the White House later today – but there will definitely be a sense of nervousness until not only the meeting starts, but until it concludes, with many potential issues that could derail the talks.

But it is notable how Trump’s language on Zelenskyy has shifted after last night’s meeting in Starmer: no longer a “dictator,” the Ukrainian leader was instead praised by the US president. Let’s see what language we’re going to hear today. Looking at European papers today, there is a somewhat mixed sentiment about the deal that is expected to be signed later today.

Discussing Starmer’s visit to the White House, German magazine Der Spiegel joked that any meeting with Trump has “nail-biting potential,” as observers “never know how it will end.” “Will he want to annex, integrate, buy something? Or just rename?,” it said.

On the mineral deal, it said that it was increasingly clear that the agreement was not just about the minerals, but “primarily how they want to shape their relationship under president Trump.”. Similarly, French Le Monde said the deal was just “a first step before a comprehensive agreement,” but “remains [the means to] succeed in getting closer to the American president.”.

But not everyone is upbeat. Denmark’s Berlingske criticised the proposed deal in harsher words, calling out that its logic could be seen as “profound disloyalty to the allies in Europe, who have collectively made a greater contribution to the war than the US.”.

It noted that the current draft is still better than the initial proposal, but urged caution saying: “The gap between the mineral agreement and Trump’s rhetoric is almost too good to be true. Therefore, there is one message to Ukraine on the day Trump and President Zelensky are to sign the deal: Don’t trust him.”.

Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza also praised Zelenskyy for rejecting the first draft of the agreement, saying it more resembled historical extortion arrangements between the colonisers and the colonised. “Zelenskyy has not given in to the pressure of Trump’s abuse and defends himself and the interests of the state, driving a hard bargain with the new administration,” it argued.

In other key developments on Ukraine:. Donald Trump insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine during his meeting with Starmer. Trump also refused to commit to deploying US forces to support a European-led peacekeeping force.

However, Trump reiterated his support for the Nato principle of collective defence under Article 5 of the Nato treaty. He said “I support it. I don’t think we’re gonna have any reason for it. I think we’re going to have a very successful peace.”.

After their bilateral meeting, Starmer said he had been clear that “the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal.” He said he was “working closely with other European leaders on this” and that working with allies was “the only way that peace will last”.

Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign minister, has accused Donald Trump of falling for a Russian narrative by closing the door on Nato membership for Ukraine. “Why are we in Nato? It is because we are afraid of Russia. And the only thing that really works – the only security guarantee that works – is Nato’s umbrella,” she said.

Kallas – a former prime minister of Estonia, which borders Russia – also questioned Trump’s approach to a peace deal. “My question is, why we should give Russia what they want on top of what they have already done – attacking Ukraine, annexing territory, occupying territory, and now offering something on top of it? … Consider here in America that after 9/11 you would have sat down with Osama bin Laden and said ‘OK, what else do you want?’ I mean, it’s unimaginable.”.

Given the tone of her comments, you will be probably somewhat less surprised to learn that her meeting with US counterpart Marco Rubio got cancelled at a very late notice due to, erm, “scheduling issues” – only after she landed in the US. Russian forces staged mass strikes late on Thursday on energy targets in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said. Oleh Syniehubov said one man was injured in a Russian attack on the town of Balakliia, south-east of Kharkiv. Ukraine’s air force reported threats of attacks by glide bombs and drones in the region.