Trump Claims “Putin Will Make Concessions” as Zelensky Seeks US Security Guarantee for Ukraine

US President Donald Trump confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on February 28 to sign a “very big agreement” on rare earth minerals. Zelensky described the deal as “preliminary” and clarified that Ukraine would allocate some revenue to a jointly controlled US fund. He insisted that the final agreement does not impose any “debts” on Kyiv, rejecting claims of a $500 billion liability. Trump emphasised that “formal security commitments would not be part of the minerals deal” and stated that Europe should take responsibility for Ukraine’s security as it is their “next door neighbour”. He also dismissed Ukraine’s NATO membership bid, saying, “You can forget about that” and suggested it was “probably the reason the whole thing started”. Zelensky underlined the need for continued US support and said his talks with Trump would focus on “guarantees of peace and security”. Trump, in turn, asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will have to make concessions” in any peace deal and credited his administration’s election victory with preventing further escalation. n18oc_world n18oc_crux