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U.S. President Donald Trump chose not to label Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator, responding to journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 24.
"I don't use those words lightly... I think we're going to see how it all works out," Trump said on Feb. 24 when asked if he would call Putin a dictator the same way he labeled President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 19.
Trump called Ukrainian leader a "dictator" in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing him of refusing to hold elections, and repeating false claims about the war in Ukraine.
Trump's remarks disregard Ukraine's constitution which prohibits elections under martial law and echoed the narratives of Russian propaganda.
Trump will meet with Zelensky within the next two weeks to finalize a minerals deal. Ukraine and the U.S. have been working out the terms of such a deal for weeks.
Trump said in early February that he wanted to strike a deal with Ukraine involving access to rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid. Trump later claimed that Kyiv has "essentially agreed" to a $500 billion resource deal. A former Ukrainian official described the initial deal as "a colonial agreement."
Following Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet Trump on Feb. 27.
How Ukraine has pushed back and held the line against Russia for 3 years
Elon Musk on Feb. 21 questioned why Ukraine was still actively defending itself amid the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion, suggesting the country’s fight against the Kremlin’s imperialist ambitions was, in fact, a giant money-making scam. “What are they dying for? What exactly are they dying for…
The Kyiv IndependentAntonina Andriichuk
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11:54 PM
Trump refuses to label Putin a dictator.
"I don't use those words lightly... I think we're going to see how it all works out," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24.
11:30 PM
'Nobody can demand anything from Russia' — Putin talks about renewed US-Russia contacts, rare earth metals.
The Kremlin leader said Russia has significantly larger reserves of rare earth metals than Ukraine and is open to working with foreign partners on developing rare earth deposits, including in the occupied parts of Ukraine, which Putin called "newly controlled regions."
9:25 PM
War in Ukraine could end 'within weeks,' Putin open to peacekeepers, Trump claims.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington supported sending European troops to monitor a ceasefire and that he had discussed the proposal with Putin, who “would accept it.”
9:16 PM
Trump says Ukraine minerals deal to 'be signed very soon,' plans meeting Zelensky.
Trump reiterated his push for a deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, arguing that it would help Kyiv's economy while ensuring that Washington "recoups the tens of billions of dollars and military equipment sent to Ukraine."
8:00 PM
UN adopts Ukraine's resolution condemning Russia's invasion — US, Russia, Belarus vote against.
The UN General Assembly approved a Ukrainian resolution on Feb. 24 condemning Russia's full-scale invasion, with 93 countries voting in favor and 18 against. The U.S., Israel, Hungary, Russia, and Belarus have voted against the resolution.
7:47 PM
7:25 PM
EU imports of Russian fossil fuels exceeded aid to Ukraine in third year of the Russian invasion, report says.
The EU paid 21.9 billion euros ($22.9 billion) for Russian fossil fuel imports in the third year of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, exceeding the 18.8 billion euros ($19.6 billion) in financial aid sent to Ukraine that year, according to a new report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air published on Feb. 24.
6:46 PM
Zelensky, Trump have 'good' conversation during G7 meeting.
"As for Donald Trump... We have just had a conversation. It was a very good conversation within the framework of the G7 meeting led by Canada," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
6:40 PM
Women account for 21% of applicants at Ukraine's army recruitment centers.
Since the army recruitment centers began operation, 42,366 Ukrainians have applied, with the highest number of female candidates coming from western Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, and Ternopil oblasts.
5:52 PM
Lithuania's Nauseda proposes 2030 as Ukraine's EU accession date.
Speaking at the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for decisive leadership to accelerate Ukraine's integration.
Three years of Russia's full-scale war: a conversation with Rob Lee.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
5:03 PM
Around 165,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine, media reports.
Using open-source research and statistical analysis, a report by independent Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona suggests that Russian losses have increased each year.
4:17 PM
Russia has launched over 30 mass strikes on Ukraine's energy system in 3 years, ministry says.
Losses from Russian attacks amount to "billions of dollars," according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
2:06 PM
(Updated: February 24, 2025 4:03 pm)
Starmer announces UK's largest package of Russia sanctions, confirms readiness to deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine.
The U.K. is imposing its largest-ever package of sanctions against Russia, targeting its "shadow fleet" of tankers and foreign-based companies providing military parts to Russia, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 24.
3:53 PM
When your 'ass is burning, you start to move faster' — Lithuanian minister urges Europe to step up defense.
"So I do hope that we will start to move faster in the next few months," Lithuania's defense chief said at the YES conference event held in Kyiv by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion.
3:43 PM
US reportedly urges UN to back its Ukraine resolution not naming Russia as aggressor.
The U.S. version of the resolution, dubbed as the "Path to Peace," is aimed at ending the war, Suspilne reported. The draft reportedly does not name Russia the aggressor, but calls for "an immediate end to the conflict."
3:07 PM
Spain to provide Ukraine with military aid package worth over $1 billion in 2025.
"We are ready to continue to provide military assistance and equipment with even more determination than we have in the past," Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez said.
2:59 PM
Moscow open to ceasefire only when talks yield results that 'suit Russia,' Lavrov says.
Sergey Lavrov's comments come as the White House announced that a peace deal with Russia could be hashed out this week.
2:36 PM
Boris Johnson backs Trump's deal on Ukraine's natural resources.
"The deal should be signed," Boris Johnson said, speaking at the YES conference event held in Kyiv by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion. "It commits the U.S. to a free and sovereign Ukraine. A continued American support is well worth the price for Ukraine."
2:13 PM
Nordic countries to provide Ukraine with additional humanitarian, military, energy aid.
The Nordic governments' statements coincided with their leaders' visits to Kyiv on the anniversary of the beginning of the all-out war.
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