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Is Trump pushing his own power to the limit?
Whether he's using the military against protesters in Los Angeles or ignoring clear orders from federal judges, President Donald Trump is shaking the democratic foundations of the United States
Donald Trump is interested in a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but he has many other priorities around the world and is ready to move on if there is no progress, says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
United States will abandon its efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine "within days" unless there are clear signs that a deal is possible, the US secretary of state has said Marco Rubio.
At the same time, Kyiv announced that it had signed a memorandum with the US on the disputed minerals agreement.
After meeting with European and Ukrainian leaders in Paris on Friday (April 18th), Rubio said he is Donald tramp still interested in the agreement. However, he added that the US president has many other priorities around the world and is ready to move on if there is no progress.
This statement by the US Secretary of State represents the clearest signal so far that the White House is ready to abandon diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Last month, Ukraine unconditionally accepted the US proposal for a 1.000-day ceasefire. The Kremlin, however, rejected that plan and instead launched a new military offensive along the 35-kilometer front line and stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. On Sunday, the city of Sumy was bombed, killing 117 people and injuring XNUMX.
No criticism of Putin
As the British "Guardian" writes, since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been putting pressure on Ukraine, suspended most of the American military aid and temporarily stopped the exchange of intelligence data. This week, Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden, of "starting" the war.
On the other hand, Trump refused to criticize Vladimir Putin or to impose sanctions on Moscow. Senior US officials - including special envoy Steve Witkoff, who spoke with Putin in St. Petersburg last week - echo the Kremlin's views.
Meanwhile, significant details of the minerals deal remain unknown, including whether Kiev agreed to a White House request to return funds for previous military aid.
Zelensky was ready to sign a framework agreement on broad economic cooperation in February, but that fell through after a failed meeting with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.
What does the memorandum say?
Since then, negotiations have continued. During the night, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Sviridenko, announced that the memorandum had been finalized. As she said, it paves the way for the establishment of an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
"We are delighted to announce the signing of our US partners," she said. At a White House press conference, Trump said the deal could be signed next Thursday.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant added that "the details are still being worked out." He stated that the latest version is 80 pages long and is "essentially what we previously agreed upon". "We will sign that," he said.
According to the draft seen by The Guardian, Ukraine acknowledges the "significant material and financial support" it has received from the US since the Russian invasion in 2022 and expresses the desire of both sides for "lasting peace".
The document states that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal will visit Washington next week to hold final "technical talks" with Besent. It is expected that they will then complete the negotiations on the "investment fund for reconstruction", the memorandum added.
The agreement must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, the Deputy Economy Minister of Ukraine said on Friday.
Zelensky wants to improve relations with the Trump administration. At the same time, he has so far rejected the White House's request that revenues from the new joint fund be used to cover the cost of arms shipments provided by the Biden administration.
Trump previously stated that Ukraine "owes" the US $300 billion. Zelensky pointed out that this aid was approved as a donation, not as a loan, and that it was adopted by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Source: The Guardian
Whether he's using the military against protesters in Los Angeles or ignoring clear orders from federal judges, President Donald Trump is shaking the democratic foundations of the United States
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