Zelenskyy says Kyiv and US working ‘productively’ on economic deal as UN holds meeting on Ukraine -live
Ukraine and US working ‘productively’ on economic deal – Zelenskyy
Ukraine and the US are working productively on an economic deal at the centre of an effort to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.
He made the remark in Kyiv during an address through video link to the leaders of G7 countries, including US President Donald Trump, during which he repeated that both Europe and Ukraine should be involved in a peace process.
His comments come as the UN General Assembly are meeting to vote on two draft resolutions on Ukraine.
Key events
Ukraine could join the European Union before 2030 if the country continues its reforms at their current speed and quality, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Monday.
Ukraine and US working ‘productively’ on economic deal – Zelenskyy
Ukraine and the US are working productively on an economic deal at the centre of an effort to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.
He made the remark in Kyiv during an address through video link to the leaders of G7 countries, including US President Donald Trump, during which he repeated that both Europe and Ukraine should be involved in a peace process.
His comments come as the UN General Assembly are meeting to vote on two draft resolutions on Ukraine.
Jennifer Rankin
EU foreign ministers have discussed sending billions of military aid to Ukraine, ahead of a summit dedicated to European defence next week.
At a meeting in Brussels on Monday a handful of countries proposed military aid for Ukraine in 2025 ranging from €20bn to €40bn, although most member states did not offer any specific figure, according to several diplomatic sources. The €40bn figure was mentioned by one member state and is seen as an outlier.
The EU says it gave Ukraine €20bn in military aid in 2024, a figure that is a starting point for the latest plan on the table.
Under a proposal from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, the EU would send Ukraine “as soon as possible” at least 1.5m rounds of large-calibre ammunition, air-defence systems, missiles capable of deep precision strikes, drones, as well as offering training to brigades.
A decision is being passed to EU leaders, who will gather for an emergency summit in Brussels next Thursday, where they will also discuss European defence.
Separately in Brussels, Ukraine’s deputy head of mission to the EU, Oksana Diakun, said she hoped for “bold decisions” soon on increased military aid for Ukraine. At the European Policy Centre, she urged the EU to tighten sanctions, by outlawing the sale of Russian liquified natural gas and raw materials, as well as making use of around €200bn frozen Russian assets in the EU.
The Ukrainian diplomat said the Ukrainian army was “the most reliable shield” between Russian aggression and peace in the EU, and that Ukrainian resistance had given Europe valuable time to get its defense industry and capability prepared.
Keir Starmer, Justin Trudeau and Ursula von der Leyen were among leaders to address the ‘Support Ukraine’ forum in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Our video team has put together this recap …
Béatrice Butsana-Sita, the chief executive officer of British Red Cross, has said that “The level of humanitarian need in Ukraine is still incredibly high” on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In a statement she said:
People have been killed, homes have been destroyed, and families have been torn apart. Since the first moments, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement has been there providing urgent aid, such as food, water, shelter and medical care. We are also providing long-term support like cash and psychosocial support, so that families who’ve lost everything can start to rebuild their lives. Red Cross and Red Crescent teams will continue to be there for as long as we are needed in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The organisation said that over the past three years, 186,000 Red Cross volunteers have supported 22 million people affected by the conflict.
Among the sites hosting memorial services in Ukraine today to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion is Bucha, at a site where a mass grave was discovered after it was liberated from Russian occupation.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron is in Washington to discuss Ukraine and US-Europe relations with US president Donald Trump. Macron was greeted by White House chief of protocol Monica Crowley.
Rosneft, which owns Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery, has not responded to a request for comment, but Reuters have been informed by three industry sources that the plant has been shut down after a Ukrainian drone attack.
Turkey ready to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks, foreign minister says
Turkey said it was ready to host possible talks between Ukraine and Russia and would support any initiative leading to peace.
During a visit to Ankara by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan said Turkey valued a US initiative for peace as a “result-oriented” approach, but repeated that both sides must participate for a solution.
“In that framework, we are ready to contribute all forms of support for peace to be achieved through talks. We are ready to host these talks as we have done before,” Fidan said.
Turkey, which is a member of Nato, hosted initial talks between the sides months after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, helping secure a deal for the safe passage of grain exports in the Black Sea.
Asked about the security guarantees Ukraine has demanded from the US and western partners for ending the war, Fidan said Ankara was “ready to take any step contributing to peace in principle.”
Russia’s aluminium producer Rusal cancelled a placement of yuan and rouble bonds on Monday, market sources have told Reuters, after the EU banned primary aluminium imports from Russia as part of a new sanctions package.
The European Council included the aluminium ban in its 16th sanctions package against Russia but introduced a quota for aluminium imports from Russia of 275,000 tons for a 12-month period to ease the transition.
The EU imported about 344,000 tons of primary aluminium from Russia in 2024. The EU Commission said Russian aluminium accounted for only 6% of total imports of the metal in 2024, compared to 16% in 2020.
Hong Kong-listed Rusal was planning to offer investors bonds worth 500 million yuan($68.97m) with settlements in roubles, as well as 10 billion roubles ($113.74m) in rouble bonds.
Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium producer outside China, declined to comment.
The UK’s government has announced 107 new sanctions against Russia. In a statement, the foreign secretary David Lammy said:
Today’s action, the largest in almost three years, underscores the UK’s commitment to Ukraine.
Every military supply line disrupted, every rouble blocked, and every enabler of Putin’s aggression exposed is a step towards a just and lasting peace.
Lasting peace will only be achieved through strength. That is why we are focused on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position.
As the world marks the grim milestone of Putin’s full-scale invasion entering its fourth year, we cannot and will not turn our backs on Ukraine in their fight for our shared security.
Here are some images from Irpin, to the north-west of Kyiv, where a memorial service is being held today.
Micheál Martin: important to remember that even after three years ‘Russia has not achieved its objectives’
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said it is important to remember that, after three years of war, “Russia has not achieved the objectives that it set itself when it illegally invaded Ukraine”. He said “We need to remember that, and take solace and strength from that, because the unity of the resistance has had an impact.”
Ireland’s leader went on to say “What we must now resolve is to ensure that Russia is never rewarded for what it did three years ago. “
Martin said:
For a small country like Ireland, the international rules based order is ultimately the only basis for our security. And that is why the war, [where] Ukraine has been defending its integrity and sovereignty, is so important for small nations all over the world. You are protecting and fighting to uphold the principles of the UN charter, in terms of sovereignty and integrity, but also in terms of rules based order. And in that context, Europe has been unified, has been firm so far, and we in Ireland stand with you.
He said Ireland would support further sanctions against Russia and that “those who engage in illegal and brutal invasions, and who breach the very basics of international rules and sovereignty, have to know that ultimately there has to be a price for the destruction.”
Ireland, which has a longstanding policy of neutrality would, he said “contribute more financially on all fronts and in all areas.”
While the “Support Ukraine” event in Kyiv continues, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has been in Turkey, where he earlier gave a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Russian state media has just issued a picture of Lavrov subsequently being received for a meeting with president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre has just raised some wry laughter in the room in Kyiv by saying that the Europe involved in this debate is more than just the EU27, then adding as an aside in a clear dig at Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, “perhaps not all 27.”
His broader point was that any resolution to the conflict would also rely on Norway and the UK from outside the EU, he said “Turkey has to be in the equation”, and he raised Canada’s assistance too – also sparking laughter with a joke about Donald Trump’s North American expansionist comments by suggesting “We are buying Canada so we can get them back.”
He had a serious point though, saying that Europe cannot simply “moan its way to the table”, and that the only way to get US president Donald Trump to take its demands seriously would be to come from a position of strength.
He raised the risk that Europe would have a divided voice, saying “for this larger group, we have to come together and make things meaningful. [French president Emmanuel] Macron is in Washington today. [UK prime minister Keir] Starmer in another few days, but we have to bring this together. Because if we don’t, there is not a European voice and then we are simply much weaker.”
Starmer: Trump has ‘changed the global conversation’ and ‘created an opportunity’
Speaking via video link to world leaders gathered in Kyiv, the UK’s prime minister has said that recent comments by US president Donald Trump had “changed the global conversation” and “created an opportunity.”
He told the “Support Ukraine” event in Kyiv:
We must bring our collective strength to the peace effort. President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity.
Now we must get the fundamentals right. If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.
Starmer went on to repeat an offer he has previously made, that the UK would be willing to put peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine to maintain the integrity of any peace deal. He said:
The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground, with other Europeans, and with the right conditions in place. And ultimately, a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years time.
Starmer: people in the UK are with Ukraine ‘today and every day’
Describing today as “this grim anniversary” of “Russia’s barbaric invasion”, the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, and said everybody in the UK “from his majesty the king, to the NHS workers volunteering in hospitals in Ukraine, to the communities that took Ukrainian refugees to their hearts” is with Ukraine “today and every day”.
He said “We’ve been full of admiration for the incredible response of the Ukrainian people. Their voices must be at the heart of the drive for peace.”
Saying it was a “time for unity”, he said “we believe in Ukraine today, and the country’s incredible potential to thrive in the years to come,” adding “we will always stand with Ukraine, and with our allies, against this aggression, and for a just and lasting peace.”
He said the UK was providing more military support in 2025 than ever before.
Pedro Sánchez, prime minister of Spain, has said “The Ukrainian people can count on Spain,” and “rest assured, we will be with you as long as it takes and as much as you need.”
He said “Difficult months lie ahead, but I am convinced that at the end of this terrible period, freedom and democracy will prevail over violence and authoritarianism,” and “Whatever happens in the coming months, Ukrainians accession to the European Union is the most important victory for the Ukrainian people.”
Promising “we will not let you down when you need us the most,” he announced a military support package worth, he said, €1bn.
