Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky ‘not ready’ to sign US minerals deal and demands Europe attends peace talks

One woman was killed and three others were injured in Russia’s guided bomb attacks on the industrial city of Kostiantynivka in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said late on Saturday.

“The enemy once again hit a residential building in Kostiantynivka – an investigation has been launched into the death of one and the injury of three civilians,” the regional prosecutor’s office said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine’s state emergency service said on its Telegram channel that rescuers have since recovered the body of the 70-year-old woman from under the rubble and that three other women were also injured.

Seven apartment buildings and 14 other buildings were damaged in the attack, the service said.

The prosecutor’s office and the emergency service posted photos showing what looked like an apartment building that was partially collapsed with all windows blown out.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with its full-scale invasion three years ago. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between US and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned down an initial proposal from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the sources said.

Mr Trump has demanded preferential access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as repayment for US military support provided to Kyiv by his predecessor Joe Biden over the last three years.

However, Mr Zelensky rejected the plan as “unserious” and said it did not provide any security guarantees in the event of a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

US president Donald Trump is confident that a Russia-Ukraine deal could get done “this week”, Karoline Leavitt, the White House’s press secretary, has said.

Europe must be at the negotiating table for any peace talks with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Mr Zelensky said “Ukraine’s security is inseparable from Europe’s security” after having a “productive talk” with British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“We coordinated our military cooperation, joint steps, and engagements for the coming week, which will be very active,” Mr Zelensky said.

“The UK and its people are among Ukraine’s biggest supporters, and we deeply appreciate this.”

The US has so far only sat down with Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for talks.

US president Donald Trump has dismissed the idea of Kyiv joining peace talks, claiming Zelensky “held no cards” and would only be obstacle to peace.

Meeting the needs of troops fighting in Ukraine and boosting the armed forces are Russia’s key strategic priorities, Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

“Today, in the context of rapid changes in the world, our strategic course to strengthen and develop the armed forces remains unchanged,” Putin said in a video on the Kremlin’s channel on the Telegram messaging app early on Sunday.

The message marked Russia’s annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, which celebrates the armed forces.

Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelensky he will press the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty in talks with Donald Trump next week as European leaders scramble to contain a growing transatlantic rift.

In a call with the Ukrainian president on Saturday morning, the Prime Minister said he would be “progressing important discussions” about Kyiv’s security on his visit to Washington, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir will meet Mr Trump in the coming days for what will be a critical moment in his leadership amid fragile relations between America and Europe after the US leader launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Mr Zelensky.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and US president Donald Trump discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine when they spoke on Saturday, Trudeau’s office said in a statement.

The pair also spoke about efforts to combat the illegal fentanyl trade, it added.

Donald Trump said on Saturday the US is close to an agreement with Ukraine on sharing revenue from Ukrainian minerals as part of efforts to end Russia’s war.

“I think we’re pretty close to a deal,” Trump told a gathering of conservatives in National Harbor, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington.

He said the US wanted to recoup the billions of dollars in military aid Washington has given to Ukraine in its fight to repel Russian invaders. He said the US is asking for rare earths, oil or “anything we can get”.

Volodymyr Zelensky is not ready to sign a “problematic” rare earth minerals deal with the US, according to Sky News.

“The agreement is not yet ready to be signed, there are a number of problematic issues, and in the current form of the draft, the president is not ready to accept it,” a Ukrainian source told Sky News.

“Today, the drafts do not reflect a partnership in the agreement and contain only unilateral commitments by Ukraine.”

It comes after Mr Trump claimed an agreement between Kyiv and Washington was close.

It emerged earlier this week that Mr Trump was demanding access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as repayment for Washington’s military support for Kyiv over the last three years.

Mr Zelensky rejected the bid as “not serious” and said it offered no security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia.