Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump lashes out at ‘boasting’ Zelensky after claiming US peace deal is close

Donald Trump has said that he thinks he has a deal with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The US president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he believes he has made a deal to settle the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

He also, however, implied that a deal with Zelensky remained elusive - adding that the Ukrainian leader had been more difficult to deal with than Putin.

The teenage son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and close ally of Vladimir Putin, has been appointed secretary of the region’s security council.

Adam Kadyrov turned 17 in November 2024. It is the fourth time he has been appointed to an official position since 2023, when he was 15. He already serves as his father’s top bodyguard, is a trustee of Chechnya's Special Forces University, and an observer in a new army battalion.

Ukraine’s minerals have become central to global geopolitics, with the US president, Donald Trump, seeking a deal with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to access them.

Munira Raji reports:

A Ukrainian government source has said there are a “few fundamental points” to securing a peace deal.

“The first is that while people are dying every day, it is extremely strange to focus on anything other than an immediate full and unconditional ceasefire,” the source told Sky News.

“Especially since Easter showed that this is possible, because the intensity of the fighting decreased and there were no air strikes when Putin ordered it.

“Second, we are ready to discuss everything else in any format after the ceasefire,” the source said, adding that it was against Ukraine’s constitution to recognise Crimea as Russian.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia could gain a huge advantage if it masters AI faster than other nations.