Ruslan Trebushkin, who refers to himself as the mayor of Pokrovsk, addressed President Volodymyr Zelensky in Russian, urging him to conclude a peace agreement. The Financial Times reported that Ukraine and the USA have agreed on a minerals agreement. Here are the main news highlights from February 25.
Ruslan Trebushkin, who identifies as the mayor of the frontline Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, recorded a message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Russian calling for a peace agreement.
The Pokrovsk city military administration clarified that the community is solely led by the head of the military administration, Sergey Dobryak. In his turn, Trebushkin is in official downtime. They also noted that it is unwise to yield to “irresponsible political insinuations.”
The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian officials, stated that Ukraine and the USA have reached an agreement for joint extraction of minerals, including gas and oil. It is expected that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to the White House in the coming weeks for a signing ceremony.
Media outlets, referencing European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy Stefan Sejourne, reported that the European Union provided Ukrainian officials with an alternative agreement regarding access to minerals, amidst Kyiv's desire to sign a similar agreement with the USA. The European Commission denied this information, stating that such cooperation has been ongoing for several years.
The Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of a resolution supporting democracy in Ukraine, which stated that the powers of President Volodymyr Zelensky should continue until the end of martial law. A vote had already taken place the day before, but it could not be approved.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed Western and Ukrainian officials, reported that without US assistance, Ukraine may experience a shortage of weapons as early as summer. At the same time, thanks to the efforts of former US President Joe Biden, American supplies will continue until 2026.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States voted against the UN resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine because it allegedly contradicts Washington's efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table and end the war.
The investigative agency “Sledstvo.Info” will present a film about Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina, who was captured by Russia in the summer of 2023, and according to information from the Russians, died there after more than a year of captivity.