Russian president Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil as part of a peace agreement with Kyiv, US president Donald Trump has claimed.
Mr Trump said the Russian leader had “no problem” with the idea despite the Kremlin rejecting the suggestion as an “uncontrollable development” last month.
"Yeah, he will accept it," Mr Trump said. "I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for World War."
French president Emmanuel Macron, who met with Mr Trump at the White House on Monday, hailed the US president’s re-engagement with Mr Putin as a “turning point” in the war.
Mr Macron said European peacekeepers in Ukraine would offer a credible way forward in guaranteeing Kyiv’s long-term security.
“We understand this would be acceptable to Russia. As Europeans, we will shoulder our share of the security burden,” he said.
In January, Moscow said Nato countries sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine would be totally unacceptable and would threaten Russia’s security. The Kremlin has not commented on Mr Trump’s claims.
Key Points
- Vladimir Putin would accept peacekeepers in Ukraine, Trump claims
- US votes with North Korea against UN resolution condemning Russia
- Macron arrives at the White House for talks with Trump
- Ukraine and US on brink of minerals deal, Kyiv's deputy PM says
- US to commit to 'sovereign and secure' Ukraine in minerals deal
UN Security Council adopts neutral US stance on war
03:16
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that takes a neutral position on the conflict.
The short resolution reflects US president Donald Trump's upending of US policy on Ukraine after taking office last month and his more conciliatory stance towards Russia.
Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia acknowledged "constructive changes" in the US position on the conflict. He told the council the resolution was "not an ideal one", but "a starting point for future efforts towards peaceful settlement".
The 15-member UN Security Council had been deadlocked throughout the war and unable to take any action because Russia holds a veto.
But the 193-member General Assembly has repeatedly supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with the UN Charter.
Watch: Trump and Macron clash over funding of Ukraine war effort
03:00
,
Alexander Butler
Trump right to re-engage with Putin, Macron says
02:30
,
Alexander Butler
French president Emmanuel Macron has praised Donald Trump’s decision to re-engage with Vladimir Putin.
“I stopped my discussion with President Putin after Bucha and the war crimes. We had nothing to get from him in the time,” he said.
“Now this is a chance because there is a new US administration. This is a new context.
“So there is good reason for President Trump to re-engage with President Putin.”
Trump wants to be remembered as a 'peacemaker'
02:00
,
Alexander Butler
US president Donald Trump just said he wanted to be remembered as a “peacemaker and unifier”.
“It is my hope that my greatest legacy will be as a peacemaker and a unifier. I want to bring peace, not war,” Mr Trump said.
Watch: Trump refuses to call Putin a dictator
01:30
,
Alexander Butler
US president Donald Trump has refused to call Vladimir Putin a dictator.
Asked if he would refer to Mr Putin as a dictator in the same way he claimed Mr Zelensky was last week, Mr Trump said he did “not use those words lightly.”
“I don’t use those words lightly. We are going to see how it all works out. We will see what happens,” he said.
Putin would accept European peacekeepers, Trump claims
01:00
,
Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil as part of a peace deal, Donald Trump claimed.
Mr Trump claimed Mr Putin had “no problem” with the idea at a White House meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron.
"Yeah, he will accept it," Mr Trump said. "I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for World War."
War in Ukraine 'could end within weeks', Trump claims
00:30
,
Alexander Butler
Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron are currently meeting in front of cameras at the White House.
Mr Trump told reporters the war in Ukraine "could end within weeks" and said he "does not see a problem with sending European troops as peacemakers".
As well as mentioning he could meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy "this week or next week", Mr Trump has also confirmed he will meet Vladimir Putin "at some point".
US in 'serious investment discussions' with Russia, Trump says
00:01
,
Alexander Butler
The United States is in “serious” discussions for economic development with Russia, US president Donald Trump said.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I am in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War.
“And also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia.”
UK should increase defence spending to 3%, former PM Boris Johnson says
Monday 24 February 2025 23:31
,
Alexander Butler
The UK should increase defence spending to three per cent of GDP, former British prime minister Boris Johnson said.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to set a timeframe as early as this week for when Britain will lift its defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP from 2.3 per cent - but Mr Johnson signalled that Mr Trump would be expecting a "bigger number".
"I think he needs to go higher…. I think in the United States, they're going to want to hear a bigger number," he said.
US votes with North Korea against UN resolution condemning Russia
Monday 24 February 2025 23:19
,
Alexander Butler
The United States joined Russia, North Korea and Belarus at the UN in refusing to blame Vladimir Putin for illegally invading Ukraine.
Washington, alongside the three dictatorships, rejected a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Russian forces to withdraw from the war-torn country.
The motion, which was drafted by Ukraine and other European countries, passed with 93 votes in favour on Monday. Eighteen countries voted against it and 64 countries, including China, abstained.
UNSC adopts resolution not blaming Putin for Ukraine invasion
Monday 24 February 2025 22:44
,
Alexander Butler
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a US-sponsored resolution on ending the war in Ukraine which does not mention Russia’s role in invading the country.
‘Toddler management’ of Trump may be behind Ukraine’s hints at rare earth minerals deal
Monday 24 February 2025 21:48
,
Alexander Butler
Trump calls Ukraine war a 'bloody, horrible mess'
Monday 24 February 2025 21:42
,
Andy Gregory
Opening his press conference alongside France’s Emmanuel Macron, US president Donald Trump described the war in Ukraine as a “horrible, bloody mess” and insisted that discussions with Russia for peace were moving “pretty quickly”.
Mr Macron told reporters that it was “good to have discussion” between the US and Russia, but warned that “peace must not be a surrender of Ukraine” and that there cannot be a “ceasefire without guarantees” of security for Kyiv.
Mr Macron also suggested that other European nations could assist in that process going forward, and need to contribute more to maintaining the defence and security of the continent – warning that Ukrainian sovereignty is an “existential issue” for stability in Europe.
And after a week in which Mr Trump and his domestic allies launched a series of vitriolic tirades against Ukraine’s leadership, the French president said: “We admire greatly the courage of the Ukrainian people”, adding: “I think that no one in this room wants to live in a world where it's the law of the strongest.”
For his part, Mr Trump once again claimed the war “would never have happened if I was president” and, in a nod to his attempts to secure a rare minerals deal with Ukraine, said: “I believe taxpayers in the United States also deserve to recoup the colossal amounts of money that we've sent.”
He added: “Our focus is on achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible, and ultimately permanent peace. My meeting with President Macron was a very important step forward.”
Trump says Zelensky is a ‘moderate comedian’? Takes one to know one…
Monday 24 February 2025 21:30
,
Alexander Butler
Putin offers US deal on Russia's rare earth metals
Monday 24 February 2025 21:22
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has offered the US the opportunity for joint exploration of Russia’s rare earth metals deposits, of which the Russian president said Moscow “undoubtedly” has more of than Ukraine.
Within hours of Donald Trump touting “major economic development transactions with Russia”, Mr Putin chaired a meeting with his ministers and aides on rare earth metals.
Outlining a future economic deal with Washington, which would include the supply of aluminium to the US domestic market, Mr Putin later told state TV: “We, by the way, would be ready to offer our American partners, and when I say ‘partners’, I mean not only administrative and governmental structures but also companies, if they showed interest in joint work.”
“We undoubtedly have, I want to emphasise, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine," Mr Putin added. He insisted that the potential US-Ukraine deal involving rare earth metals is not a concern for Russia.
Mr Putin claimed that Russian companies could supply up to 2 million tonnes of aluminium to the US market if it were to reopen, and suggested that Russia and the US could work jointly on hydropower generation and aluminium production in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia.
“What is most important, in my opinion, is that we could consider working together with American companies in this area,” Mr Putin said.
Is Europe ready for a US-free Nato?
Monday 24 February 2025 20:50
,
Alexander Butler
Trump right to re-engage with Putin, Macron says
Monday 24 February 2025 20:19
,
Alexander Butler
French president Emmanuel Macron has praised Donald Trump’s decision to re-engage with Vladimir Putin.
“I stopped my discussion with President Putin after Bucha and the war crimes. We had nothing to get from him in the time,” he said.
“Now this is a chance because there is a new US administration. This is a new context.
“So there is good reason for President Trump to re-engage with President Putin.”
Watch: I want to be known as a peacemaker and a unifier, Trump says
Monday 24 February 2025 20:10
,
Alexander Butler
Europe is 'clear-eyed' about need to spend more on defence
Monday 24 February 2025 20:09
,
Alexander Butler
Europe is “clear-eyed” about the need to spend more on defence, Mr Macron said.
The French president said Europe was “well aware” about having to “shoulder more of the security burden that your country has carried for so many years”.
“Europe is very clear eyed about this, we know what we must do given the threats we face.”
“We fully share your vision of peace through strength,” he said.
Russian threat is an 'existential issue', Macron says
Monday 24 February 2025 20:05
,
Alexander Butler
The question of Ukraine’s future security and the Russian threat to Europe is an “existential issue”, Mr Macron said.
Ukraine has fought for Europe's security, Macron tells Trump
Monday 24 February 2025 20:02
,
Alexander Butler
Ukraine has fought for Europe’s collective security over the last three years, French president Emmanuel Macron told Donald Trump.
Trump wants to be remembered as a 'peacemaker'
Monday 24 February 2025 20:00
,
Alexander Butler
US president Donald Trump just said he wanted to be remembered as a “peacemaker and unifier”.
“It is my hope that my greatest legacy will be as a peacemaker and a unifier. I want to bring peace, not war,” Mr Trump said.
Europe must take central role in Ukraine's future security, Trump says
Monday 24 February 2025 19:59
,
Alexander Butler
Europe must take a central role in Ukraine’s future security, US president Donald Trump said.
Mr Trump claimed the US had spent nearly $100bn more than Europe on Ukraine’s war effort, something that “must be equalised”.
He said Mr Macron agreed Europe should take on a larger role in strengthening Ukraine’s security.
Donald Trump begins speaking alongside Macron
Monday 24 February 2025 19:54
,
Alexander Butler
US president Donald Trump has started speaking alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, where he called the Ukraine war a “horrible bloody mess”.
Watch live as Trump and Macron to speak from Washington DC
Monday 24 February 2025 19:45
,
Alexander Butler
Watch live by following this link as US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron speak from Washington DC.
Watch: Trump refuses to call Putin a dictator
Monday 24 February 2025 19:26
,
Alexander Butler
US president Donald Trump has refused to call Vladimir Putin a dictator.
Asked if he would refer to Mr Putin as a dictator in the same way he claimed Mr Zelensky was last week, Mr Trump said he did “not use those words lightly.”
“I don’t use those words lightly. We are going to see how it all works out. We will see what happens,” he said.
Watch: Trump backs European peacekeepers
Monday 24 February 2025 19:23
,
Alexander Butler
Pictured: Macron meets Trump at the White House
Monday 24 February 2025 19:14
,
Alexander Butler
Watch: Macron awkwardly corrects Trump over Ukraine war funding
Monday 24 February 2025 19:07
,
Alexander Butler
Putin would accept peacekeepers, Trump claims
Monday 24 February 2025 18:42
Russian president Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil as part of a peace deal, Donald Trump claimed.
Mr Trump claimed Mr Putin had “no problem” with the idea at a White House meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron.
"Yeah, he will accept it," Mr Trump said. "I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for World War."
War in Ukraine 'could end within weeks', Trump claims
Monday 24 February 2025 18:33
,
Alexander Butler
Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron are currently meeting in front of cameras at the White House.
Mr Trump told reporters the war in Ukraine "could end within weeks" and said he "does not see a problem with sending European troops as peacemakers".
As well as mentioning he could meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy "this week or next week", Mr Trump has also confirmed he will meet Vladimir Putin "at some point".
US in 'serious investment discussions' with Russia, Trump says
Monday 24 February 2025 18:07
,
Alexander Butler
The United States is in “serious” discussions for economic development with Russia, US president Donald Trump said.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I am in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War.
“And also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia.”
US votes against Kyiv-drafted UN resolution alongside Russia and North Korea
Monday 24 February 2025 17:36
,
Alexander Butler
The US was alongside Russia, North Korea and Belarus in voting against a Kyiv-drafted UN resolution condemning Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The resolution passed with 93 votes in favour. Eighteen countries, including the US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea, voted against it. China abstained alongside 64 other countries.
The US proposed its own motion calling for an end to the three-year-long war which did not condemn Russia as the aggressor in the conflict.
It was a three-paragraph resolution that did not single out Moscow for any responsibility in the conflict. It “implores a swift end to the conflict and urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”
This also passed after EU amendments changed the wording to condemn Russia. The US abstained on the vote alongside China and Hungary. Russia voted against it.
Could Nato soon be over – and what might replace it?
Monday 24 February 2025 16:40
,
Alexander Butler
Eastern European countries with Russian-speaking citizens at risk, Zelensky warns
Monday 24 February 2025 16:38
,
Alexander Butler
Eastern European countries with Russian-speaking populations could be at risk of Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
The "most dangerous moment", he said is when countries in Eastern Europe have people with "Russian roots" - not because they themselves pose any threat, but because the Kremlin will use their safety as a pretence for invasion.
Mr Zelensky named Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Moldova and Estonia.
It was the same, he added, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and invaded the Donbas.
"At the very beginning, they said that they are not occupying our territories... they defend Russian-speaking people," he said.
Starmer urged to take a lead on defence in Europe
Monday 24 February 2025 16:31
,
David Maddox
Labour defence select committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has called on Keir Starmer to “take a lead” on defence in Europe.
It comes as both foreign secretary David Lammy and his Tory shadow Dame Priti Patel have said Europe needs to shoulder more of the burden of defence in Europe.
Mr Singh Dhesi said that “transactional relationships” with allies like the US can no longer be relied on and pushed for Sir Keir to take more of a lead.
His words were echoed in even stronger terms by Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller who said “President Trump has shown he cannot be trusted on defence”.
However, Mr Lammy continues to carefully walk the tightrope and say he agrees with Trump in wanting to bring peace and Europe to spend more on defence.
US and Ukraine close to agreeing minerals deal, Ukraine's deputy PM says
Monday 24 February 2025 16:23
,
Alexander Butler
Ukraine and the US are working “productively” on a controversial rare earth minerals deal, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Donald Trump has demanded preferential access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals under the agreement as repayment for Washington’s military support over the last three years.
Last week, Mr Zelensky dismissed the idea as “not serious”, saying there was no factual basis for claiming the US was owed $500bn, as well as the deal providing Ukraine with no security guarantees.
On Sunday, Mr Zelensky again refused to acknowledge the $500bn figure and said grants should not be treated as loans. He said there could be no format for the deal if it forced Ukraine to repay money for aid already given to Kyiv.
“I will not sign what ten generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back,” the Ukrainian leader said.
However, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Olga Stefanishyna said on Monday that the deal was in the final stages of negotiations and “nearly all key details” have been finalised.
Ukraine could join EU before 2030, von der Leyen says
Monday 24 February 2025 16:16
,
Alexander Butler
Ukraine could join the European Union within five years if reforms continue, president of the EU commission Ursula von der Leyen said.
"I really appreciate the political will that is there. I would even say Ukraine's merit-based process, if they continue at that speed and at that quality, perhaps they could be earlier than 2030", Ms von der Leyen said.
EU Council president Antonio Costa added that accession to the EU would be the most important security guarantee for the future of Ukraine.
MI6 chief: We stand with 'brave and resolute' Ukrainians
Monday 24 February 2025 16:11
,
Alex Croft
#MI6 stand with our brave and resolute Ukrainian partners on this third anniversary of Putin’s naked and unprovoked aggression.
— Richard Moore (@ChiefMI6) February 24, 2025
Slava Ukraini. https://t.co/qBIcxTqg2n
Xi reaffirms ‘no limits’ partnership with Russia
Monday 24 February 2025 15:56
,
Alex Croft
Chinese president Xi Jinping reaffirmed his “no limits” partnership with Russia in a phone call with president Vladimir Putin on Monday, China’s state media reported.
The leaders discussed recent talks between Washington and Moscow in Saudi Arabia, with the Trump administration looking to push for a quick deal to end the Ukraine war.
"China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value, and are not aimed at, nor are they influenced by, any third party," said Xi, according to the official readout published by Chinese state media.
"The development strategies and foreign policies of China and Russia are long-term," Xi saie, adding that the two countries "are good neighbours that cannot be moved apart".
China and Russia declared a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Xi has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and Putin in recent months described China as an ally.
Watch live: David Lammy to announce new Russia sanctions on third anniversary of Ukraine invasion
Monday 24 February 2025 15:44
,
Alex Croft
Watch live as foreign secretary David Lammy is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday, 24 February.
In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said a “milestone package” of 107 new sanctions will be implemented to “target funds going into Putin’s war chest and propping up Russia’s kleptocratic system.”
Targets of the sanctions include producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military that are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China.
Watch live here:
EU Council president: ‘Ukraine is writing a new playbook’
Monday 24 February 2025 15:42
,
Alex Croft
Speaking at a press conference in at the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv, EU Council president Antonia Costa has commended Ukraine for writing a “new playbook” on wartime governance.
“It is very impressive what Ukraine is making, because in fact Ukraine is writing a new playbook [on] how to make reforms in wartime.”
Mr Costa was speaking on the possibility of Ukrainian accession to the EU.
“Ukrainian accession to the EU will be the most important security guarantee for the future of Ukraine,” he said. “We have already decided that this new institutional cycle will be the institutional cycle of enlargement, to Ukraine, to Moldova, to western Balkans, and we don’t know with Georgia.
“It is a merit-based process and we are working hard, from the European Commission to the different candidate states.”