AFP USA

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump inWashington on Monday, saying he will present “proposals for action” to counter the “Russian threat” in Europe and ensure peace in Ukraine.Macron is hoping to persuade Trump when the two leaders meet on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine to include European leaders in talks between Russia and the United States.Trump sent shock waves around Europe when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to hold talks without the involvement of European nations or Kyiv.He has repeated Russian talking points about Ukraine’s supposed responsibility in starting the war, raising concern in Europe that he would agree to Moscow’s terms.Macron has tried to coordinate a European response to Washington’s sudden policy shift, hosting two meetings with key leaders last week. Russia is “an existential threat to Europeans,” he said at the time.”You have a power that has overly armed itself… and continues to arm itself,” Macron said, before departing for Washington.”We don’t know where it will stop today. So we must all act to contain it.”- Macron’s aims -Macron will be representing Europe as a whole during his visit, following his meetings with leaders across the continent, including Moscow-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an advisor to the president said.”He is going to Washington with proposals for action that reflect the convergences that emerged” from the talks, the advisor said.Macron aims to persuade Trump to continue US support for Ukraine, respecting its sovereignty and ensuring that European interests are fully considered, the advisor noted.He also seeks to convince Trump that Russia represents an “existential threat” to Europe, and that Putin “will not respect” a ceasefire, he added.Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is due to visit the White House on Thursday, coordinated on messaging before to the French president’s departure for the United States this weekend.- Deployment of forces -Britain and France are also discussing the deployment of European forces in Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached, to deter Russia from future attacks. “The idea is to deploy soldiers to a second line, not on the front line. This could be combined with a multinational operation, with non-European contingents,” said a French source close to the discussions.Macron and Starmer are expected to ask Trump to provide “solid security guarantees” for the deployed forces.Although the Trump administration has ruled out committing US soldiers to the war effort, Europe hopes it could provide other support, such as logistics or intelligence.European leaders would also commit to increasing their defense spending as Trump seeks to reduce US commitment, no longer wanting to bear the burden of the region’s security.”It is in his interest to work with the Europeans because Europe has a capacity for growth — an economic potential — to cooperate with Americans,” Macron said.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country’s “resistance” and “heroism” on Monday on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion as EU leaders arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch what he called a “special military operation” set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of soldiers — from both sides — and Ukrainian civilians have been killed, cities across the country’s south and east have been flattened and millions forced to flee their homes.But three years after the West rallied behind Ukraine and Zelensky, Trump’s return to the White House has threatened to upend that coalition of support and has brought vital military and financial aid into question at a critical juncture in the war.Russian troops are still advancing across the east and Moscow has been emboldened by Trump’s diplomatic outreach and his scepticism over long-term support for Kyiv.Zelensky on Monday hailed “three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians,” adding: I thank everyone who defends and supports it.”: Arriving in Kyiv by train, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine was fighting “for survival” and that Europe’s “destiny” was at stake in Ukraine.”We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she said in a post on X.In an apparent rebuke of Trump’s moves to sideline Kyiv from talks on how to end the war, EU Council President Antonio Costa said: “In Ukraine, about Ukraine, with Ukraine.” – ‘Turning point’ -Zelensky said 13 leaders would be in Kyiv on Monday with another 24 joining a special meeting online.The Ukrainian leader said he hoped it would be a “turning point”.He is calling for security guarantees from Kyiv’s backers to ensure Russia does not use any ceasefire to rearm and attack again at a later date.On Sunday he offered to resign if it meant Ukraine could be given NATO membership.The Kremlin on the eve of the anniversary repeated Russia’s position that it would not give up territory it has captured in Ukraine’s east and south.Moscow has also said it would not accept Ukrainian admission to NATO.Trump is pushing both Ukraine and Russia for a swift end to the war.Triggering alarm in Kyiv and across Europe, he has restarted diplomacy with Moscow, calling Putin for a 90-minute phone conversation and despatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.- ‘ I don’t want to give up’ -French President Emmanuel Macron was due in Washington later Monday for a meeting with Trump. He said he plans to tell the Republican: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”Europe has been left scrambling to respond as Trump and his team have not only questioned support for Ukraine, but also decades of transatlantic security cooperation between the United States and its key European allies.Ukrainian soldiers in the east told AFP they were nervous about Trump’s bid for a swift ceasefire.”It scares me more. Because the bloodiest moments always come before a truce,” said Andrii, a 25-year-old serving with Ukraine’s army in the east.”In this war, you don’t count days, weeks, numbers, or any dates,” said Mykola, a 38 year-old gun commander stationed in the eastern Donetsk region.”I don’t want to give up Ukrainian lands … we’ve been fighting for so long,” he told AFP on the eve of the anniversary. “But everyone is tired of the war.”

Vatican thriller “Conclave” won top prize at an unpredictable Screen Actors Guild Awards gala Sunday, throwing a potential late curveball into the Oscars race just a week before the Academy Awards.The movie about the mysterious, behind-closed-doors selection process for choosing a new pope won the prize for best cast — the SAG equivalent to best picture — for a stellar ensemble including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. Collecting the award, Fiennes said the win was a celebration of “community,” and “the supreme importance of it in our work and in the world.”Rossellini earlier wished “a quick recovery” to Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for 10 days with respiratory issues and remains in critical condition.Having also won big at Britain’s recent BAFTA awards, “Conclave” now appears a strong, late-breaking contender for the best picture Oscar, alongside critical darlings such as “Anora.” In another upset, Timothee Chalamet won the SAG Award for best actor for his portrayal of a youthful Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.””I know we’re in a subjective business but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” said Chalamet, never short on confidence.”I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats,” he added, citing inspirations including multiple Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Marlon Brando, and sporting titans Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.”I want to be up there,” said the 29-year-old.Adrien Brody has long been seen as the runaway favorite for this year’s awards season with his performance as a brilliant architect, haunted by the Holocaust, in “The Brutalist.” But Chalamet’s win suggests that the Oscars race could be closer than expected.- ‘Purpose’ -The SAG Awards are voted on by Hollywood actors, who represent the biggest branch of the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes for the Oscars.The prizes are therefore closely watched as indicators of who is likely to win Academy Awards.More closely following pundit predictions Sunday, Demi Moore won the best actress SAG Award for her role in gory body horror “The Substance.”Moore’s role as an aging celebrity who injects a serum to temporarily reclaim her younger body — with disastrous consequences — has marked a stunning career renaissance for the 1990s megastar.Acting “changed my life because it gave me meaning, it gave me purpose and it gave me direction, because I was a kid on my own, who had no blueprint for life,” she said.Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldana won the best supporting actor and best supporting actress awards for “A Real Pain” and “Emilia Perez,” respectively, at the gala aired on Netflix. Culkin plays an emotional and charismatic tourist retracing his ancestral roots in Poland with his mismatched, neurotic cousin (Jesse Eisenberg).Saldana portrays a lawyer hired to help a Mexican cartel boss undergo gender reassignment surgery in the scandal-hit Netflix film “Emilia Perez.”Both have won nearly every prize in their categories at multiple shows this year, and appear to be shoo-ins for the Oscars next Sunday.- ‘Fight back’ -Jane Fonda received the union’s Life Achievement Award, using much of her speech to urge Hollywood to “fight back” against the current state of US politics.”A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way,” warned Fonda.While not directly mentioning President Donald Trump, Fonda notably name-checked Sebastian Stan’s performance as Trump in the movie “The Apprentice.” Comparing the present situation to the intolerance of the McCarthyism of the 1950s, Fonda said “today, it’s helpful to remember… that Hollywood resisted.”Her comments, greeted with a standing ovation from the audience, came at a time when Hollywood studios has been criticized for falling in line with White House policies such as the shuttering of diversity hiring programs.In the television awards, Japanese period drama “Shogun” won best ensemble and best stunt ensemble, while its stars Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won individual awards.In comedy, Martin Short won for best actor for “Only Murders in the Building,” which also won the best ensemble prize, while Jean Smart won for “Hacks.” 

Defying Kyiv and its European allies, Washington plans on Monday to submit to the UN Security Council and General Assembly a draft text that calls for a “swift end” to the Ukraine conflict but makes no reference to its territorial integrity, in an early test of Donald Trump’s muscular approach to the crisis. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine three years ago, the balance of power at the United Nations has been clear: the General Assembly, representing all members, has clearly and overwhelmingly supported Ukrainian sovereignty, while the 15-member Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power. But Trump’s return to the White House last month has brought a dramatic reshuffling of the diplomatic cards, as he undertakes a clear rapprochement with the Kremlin while dismissing his Ukrainian counterpart, the severely pressured Volodymyr Zelensky, as a “dictator.”Against this tense diplomatic backdrop, Ukraine and more than 50 other states are planning on Monday — the third anniversary of the Russian invasion — to introduce a text before the General Assembly saying it is “urgent” to end the war “this year” and clearly repeating the Assembly’s previous demands: an immediate cessation of Russian hostilities against Ukraine and an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. Amid heated speculation that the United States might abstain from the General Assembly vote — expected around midday — Washington generated widespread surprise Friday by proposing a competing text. The US resolution is “simple (and) historic,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Friday, as he urged member states to approve it.- ‘A good move’ -The tersely worded US draft “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”It makes no reference to Ukrainian territorial integrity, a cornerstone of the previous resolutions passed by the Assembly, with the United States under former president Joe Biden among its strongest supporters. For Vassili Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, the American resolution is “a good move,” though he believes it should also “address the root causes” of the war.According to diplomatic sources, the American delegation plans to submit that text to a Security Council vote set for 3 pm (2000 GMT) Monday, according to the Chinese presidency of the Council.The vote will place European delegates in an awkward position.To be adopted, a resolution needs the votes of at least nine of the 15 Security Council members — while not being vetoed by any of the five permanent members (the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China).Even if the EU members (France, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece) along with Britain were to abstain, the resolution could still pass.Would France or Britain be prepared to cast their first vetoes in more than 30 years — even as their respective leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, are expected this week at the White House for key talks on Ukraine? “I do not see how Paris and London can support a text that is so far from their stated positions on Ukraine, but I also do not see how they can veto it,” Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP. Predicting the outcome of the diplomatic confrontation in the General Assembly is not easy: While some Europeans are deeply unsettled by the American approach, several UN member states have grown tired of the constant attention to Ukraine, and some Arab countries have not forgotten Kyiv’s refusal to support their resolutions on Gaza. For the Europeans, the competing votes will be “a test of their standing in the multilateral system.” At the same time, Kyiv could be left “increasingly isolated” if it draws too little support, Gowan said.The votes also constitute “an early test of the Trump administration’s strong-arm approach to UN diplomacy,” he added.With core principles of international law at stake, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a peace that “fully upholds Ukraine’s territorial integrity” and respects the UN Charter.  

Most employees at USAID will be placed on leave or fired by midnight on Sunday, the aid agency said, as President Donald Trump’s administration plows ahead in slashing government spending.Around 1,600 workers based in the United States will be laid off in a “reduction-in-force” effort, according to a notice on the US Agency for International Development’s website.All other staff directly hired by USAID will be placed on administrative leave globally, except those responsible for “mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs.”The move is a step forward in Trump’s effort to dismantle USAID, which has more than 10,000 employees and operates an array of humanitarian and development programs around the world.The agency announced earlier this month that all staff would be placed on administrative leave — a directive that faced legal challenges.But on Friday, a federal judge lifted an order pausing the Trump administration’s implementation of plans to gut USAID. In its statement on Sunday, the agency said that remaining staff expected to continue working would be informed by management by 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) that day.USAID added that it will fund return travel expenses for staff based overseas.”In the coming week, we will provide details on how to retrieve personal items from the former USAID workspaces and return government issued devices,” it said.Trump and his allies — including billionaire donor Elon Musk — allege USAID is rife with “fraud,” but have provided little proof of the accusations.Its budget of more than $40 billion is mandated by Congress, with its programs ranging from governance to life-saving food assistance.The decades-old agency has, over the years, faced criticism in the aid sector for its overhead costs and questions on whether some of its programs achieve their objectives.USAID has, however, also been a key US tool of global “soft power” — the ability of a country to persuade others through its attractiveness.

An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi was diverted to Rome on Sunday afternoon following an “alleged bomb scare”, an Italian airport spokesman said.The US-based carrier gave no details on the nature of what it called a “possible security concern” on the flight carrying 199 passengers plus crew, which was escorted by two Italian fighter jets before landing.”The flight landed safely at FCO (Rome), and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart,” American Airlines said in a statement.Mahesh Kumar, an IT consultant aboard the flight, said the pilot announced the diversion to Rome due to “security reasons” about three hours before landing. “Everyone was afraid. Everyone was staying quiet and obeying the orders,” the 55-year-old from Texas told AFP.”They asked us to sit down and not to roam around while the fighter jets were near us,” Kumar said, adding that Italian police escorted passengers for a security screening in the airport when they landed.The flight had taken off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday at around 8:11 pm local time (01:11 GMT Sunday), according to flight tracker FlightAware.It turned around sharply while flying over the Caspian Sea, the website showed.An American Airlines official said the aircraft landed in Rome due to Indian protocol requirements.”The possible issue was determined to be non-credible, but per DEL Airport protocol, an inspection was required before landing at DEL,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The flight will stay in FCO overnight to allow for required crew rest before continuing to DEL as soon as possible tomorrow.”Rome airport operations were not affected by the incident, an Italian airport spokesman said.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the plane had landed safely “after the crew reported a security issue.”American Airlines, one of the largest US air carriers, is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.Its international operations serve more than 60 countries, according to the airline’s website. 

Marvel and Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” clung to the top of the North American box office this weekend despite a steep drop from its opening, earning an estimated $28.2 million, analysts said Sunday.That take, on a slow February weekend, was just over one-fourth the $100 million the superhero film earned at its opening. Reviews of the movie, with Anthony Mackie in the title role, have been decidedly weak.Neon Studio’s new comedy-horror film “The Monkey,” based on a short story by Stephen King, opened in second place for the Friday-through-Sunday period, taking in an estimated $14.2 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.Theo James, Rohan Campbell and Elijah Wood star in the movie about a demonic toy monkey that is linked to a series of horrific deaths.In third place, slipping one spot from last weekend, was Columbia and Sony’s “Paddington in Peru,” at $6.5 million. Ben Whishaw voices the lovable, floppy-hatted bear.Also down one spot was “Dog Man,” a superhero comedy from Universal and DreamWorks, at $5.9 million. The family-friendly animation is a spinoff from the best-selling “Captain Underpants” books.And in fifth, at $3 million, was “Ne Zha 2” from CMC Pictures. The Chinese blockbuster has become the biggest-ever box-office release in China and the highest-grossing animated film of all time.The tale of a rebellious young deity who uses his powers to battle formidable foes, “Ne Zha 2″ has logged worldwide ticket sales of $1.72 billion since its January 29 release in China, according to state news agency Xinhua.  Rounding out the top 10 were:”Heart Eyes” ($2.9 million)”The Unbreakable Boy” ($2.5 million)”Mufasa: The Lion King” ($2.5 million)”One of Them Days” ($1.4 million)”Love Hurts” ($1.1 million)

The Kremlin on Sunday hailed dialogue between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — two “extraordinary” presidents — as “promising”, and vowed it would “never” give up territory seized in eastern Ukraine.Trump broke with Western policy earlier this month by phoning Putin to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict — a call hailed by Moscow as ending three years of isolation for the Kremlin leader since he launched his full-scale offensive in February 2022.Top Russian and US officials then met in Saudi Arabia last week to discuss a “restoration” of ties and start a discussion on a possible Ukraine ceasefire — all without the involvement of Kyiv or Europe.”This is a dialogue between two extraordinary presidents,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV on Sunday.”That’s promising,” he added.”It is important that nothing prevents us from realising the political will of the two heads of state.”Trump’s overtures to Moscow have triggered alarm in Kyiv and across Europe.But it is unclear whether his moves will be able to bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to a truce.Peskov on Sunday ruled out any territorial concessions as part of a settlement.”The people decided to join Russia a long time ago,” he said, referring to Moscow-staged votes in eastern Ukraine held amid the offensive that were slammed as bogus by Kyiv, the West and international monitors. “No one will ever sell off these territories. That’s the most important thing.”- ‘God willed it’ -Putin said God and fate had entrusted him and his army with “the mission” to defend Russia.”Fate willed it so, God willed it so, if I may say so. A mission as difficult as it is honourable — defending Russia — has been placed on our and your shoulders together,” he told servicemen who have fought in Ukraine. Russia was on Sunday marking “Defender of the Fatherland Day” — a holiday hailing soldiers and veterans — a day before the three-year anniversary of the start of its full-scale offensive.”Today, at the risk of their lives and with courage, they are resolutely defending their homeland, national interests and Russia’s future,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin.Moscow’s army had overnight launched a record 267 attack drones at Ukraine, Kyiv’s air force said.Among them, 138 were intercepted by air defence and 119 were “lost”.Ukraine did not say what happened to the remaining 10 but a separate armed forces statement on Telegram said several regions, Kyiv included, had been “hit”.AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital heard air defence systems in operation throughout the night.- ‘Inappropriate remarks’ -Amid his outreach to Moscow, Trump has also verbally attacked Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky falsely claiming Kyiv started the war and that Zelensky was hugely unpopular at home.The bitter war of words has threatened to undermine Western support for Kyiv at a critical juncture in the conflict.Zelensky on Sunday called for the Western coalition that has been helping Kyiv fend off the Russian offensive for the last three years to hold strong.”We must do our best to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine. This is possible with the unity of all partners: we need the strength of the whole of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of all those who want lasting peace,” Zelensky said on Telegram.Moscow has revelled in the spat between Trump and Zelensky.”Zelensky makes inappropriate remarks addressed to the head of state. He does it repeatedly,” Peskov said Sunday.”No president would tolerate that kind of treatment. So his (Trump’s) reaction is completely quite understandable.”Scrambling to respond to Trump’s dramatic policy reversal, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week to make the case for supporting Ukraine.

Elon Musk, the billionaire advisor to Donald Trump, said Saturday that all US federal employees must justify their work or lose their jobs, hours after the president pushed him to be “more aggressive” in slashing government spending.Musk — the world’s richest person and Trump’s biggest donor — has led the effort to fire swaths of the government workforce.”All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk wrote.According to a copy of the email provided to AFP, federal workers were asked to submit “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week.”The email came from the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), with the subject line “What did you do last week?”. The deadline to reply was 11:59 pm Monday, though the message did not say failure to do so would lead to termination. The OPM did not immediately reply to AFP’s request for comment on Saturday evening.”A large number of good responses have been received already. These are the people who should be considered for promotion,” Musk posted on X after issuing the deadline. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal employee union, vowed to challenge any unlawful terminations in a statement from national president Everett Kelley. Kelley slammed Musk and the Trump administration, saying the move showed “their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people.””It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” he said. Several federal employees told AFP they were advised by their agencies not to respond to the email and wait for further instruction, a recommendation echoed by the National Treasury Employees Union. “I have so much work to do, I am not going to neglect actual patient care for this drama,” a physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who received the email, told AFP.Musk later appeared to downplay the requirements of the request, writing on X that the bar is “very low” and saying, “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable!”- ‘More aggressive’ -Earlier Saturday, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Musk was “doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive.”Trump has put the tech entrepreneur in charge of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory body, tasking him with slashing public spending and tackling alleged waste and corruption.In the latest cuts announced Friday, the US Defense Department is to reduce its civilian workforce by at least five percent starting next week.Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status.DOGE is a free-ranging entity run by Musk, though its cost-cutting spree has been met with pushback on several fronts and mixed court rulings.A judge on Thursday denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of people.Musk said this week he would work with Trump for as long as he “can be helpful,” as the pair dismissed concerns over conflicts of interest due to the tycoon’s government contracts.”Elon is doing a great job,” Trump told a meeting of conservative activists on Saturday, running through a list of what he said were “some of the flagrant scams” that had been uncovered.”We love Elon, don’t we? He’s a character,” Trump added. “People said, what official position does he have? I said, ‘Patriot’.”Musk said this week DOGE was publicizing its actions on its website and that the transparency would hold him accountable.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was trying to get money back for the billions of dollars sent to support Ukraine’s war against Russia.His comments came as Washington and Kyiv negotiate a mineral resources deal Trump wants as compensation for the wartime aid his predecessor Joe Biden gave Ukraine.It was the latest twist in a whirlwind first month since he took office, during which he has upended US foreign policy by making diplomatic overtures towards the Kremlin over the heads of Ukraine and Europe.Trump told delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington: “I’m trying to get the money back, or secured.”I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. We’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get.”We’re going to get our money back because it’s just not fair. And we will see, but I think we’re pretty close to a deal, and we better be close because that has been a horrible situation.”Hours earlier, a source told AFP that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “not ready” to sign such a deal, despite growing US pressure.- War of words -Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg, who met Zelensky this week, said the Ukrainian president understood signing a deal with the United States was “critical.”But the Ukrainian source told AFP that Kyiv needed assurances first.”In the form in which the draft is now, the president is not ready to accept, we are still trying to make changes and add constructiveness,” the source close to the matter said.Ukraine wants any agreement signed with the United States to include security guarantees as it battles Russia’s nearly three-year invasion.The negotiations between the two countries come amid a deepening war of words between Trump and Zelensky that has raised alarm in Kyiv and Europe.On Wednesday, Trump branded his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator” and called for him to “move fast” to end the war, a day after Russian and US officials held talks in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv.Washington has proposed a United Nations resolution on the Ukraine conflict that omitted any mention of Kyiv’s territory occupied by Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP.- ‘What kind of partnership is this?’ -Trump has asked for “$500 billion worth” of rare earth minerals to make up for aid given to Kyiv — a price tag Ukraine has balked at and which is much higher than published US aid figures.”There are no American obligations in the agreement regarding guarantees or investments, everything about them is very vague, and they want to extract $500 billion from us,” the Ukrainian source told AFP.”What kind of partnership is this? And why do we have to give $500 billion, there is no answer,” the source said, adding that Ukraine had proposed changes.The United States has given Ukraine more than $60 billion in military aid since Russia’s invasion, according to official figures — the largest such contribution among Kyiv’s allies but substantially lower than Trump’s figures.The Kiel Institute, a German economic research body, said that from 2022 until the end of 2024, the United States gave a total of 114.2 billion euros ($119.8 billion) in financial, humanitarian and military aid.- UK support ‘ironclad’ -A senior Ukrainian official told AFP Friday that despite the tensions, talks on a possible agreement were “ongoing.”The row comes as Ukraine is set to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Monday, and as Kyiv’s forces are slowly ceding ground on the front line.Moscow’s defense ministry earlier on Saturday claimed the capture of Novolyubivka in the eastern Lugansk region, which is now largely under Russian control.In a call with Zelensky on Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged the “UK’s ironclad support for Ukraine”.Zelensky, in response, praised the United Kingdom for showing “leadership” on the war with Russia.Starmer also said it was in the “interests” of both Britain and the United States to “stand by” Ukraine, which needed a seat at the negotiating table and “strong security guarantees so the peace will last”, writing in a column for The Sun published late Saturday.Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that Britain will unveil a significant package of sanctions against Russia on Monday.In London, thousands of people marched in support of Ukraine on Saturday, and polls in Britain suggest strong support for Kyiv.France’s Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Saturday that Paris was looking at increasing the number of its frigates and Rafale fighter jets, and stepping up production of drones.The measures were being taken to improve France’s defense capabilities because of threats related to the Ukraine conflict, he was quoted as saying in Sunday’s edition of Le Parisien newspaper.French President Emmanuel Macron is due in Washington for talks with Trump on Monday.The White House said Saturday that Trump had met with conservative Polish President Andrzej Duda backstage at CPAC, and praised Duda for “Poland’s commitment to increase their defense spending”.Duda, a vocal admirer of Trump, said he had told Zelensky in a phone call Friday to cooperate with the US president.