Ukraine-Russia war latest: US hails strong signal to Putin after ‘first of its kind’ minerals deal

An estimated 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russia against Ukrainian forces, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Wednesday.

The assessment came two days after North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent combat troops to help Russia recapture parts of the Kursk region, which it lost control of to a surprise Ukrainian incursion last year.

Read the full report here:

Russia and North Korea celebrated breaking ground on either side of the Tumen River, officially beginning construction on the bridge that will provide the first major road link between the countries.

Here is what that bridge will mean:

Ukrainian emergency services tackled huge fires in Odesa following a Russian drone attack that took place in the early hours of Thursday, according to the local authorities.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has met with senior minister from Luxembourg.

Mr Zelensky said in the meeting on Wednesday he thanked the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence for their ongoing support to Ukraine.

“We discussed Luxembourg’s participation in the reconstruction of the Kryvyi Rih district and the city of Kryvyi Rih, as well as our European integration. Diplomatic efforts to achieve a reliable peace were also on the agenda,” he said on X.

“Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire for a sufficient period, which should be the first step toward peace. We are ready for negotiations, but only after the killing of our people stops. And we are grateful to everyone who supports us in this.”

Mark Almond writes that the minerals deal Ukraine agreed with the US is less humiliating than the one Zelensky initially refused to sign, but it doesn’t necessarily leave Ukraine better off.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has called the US and Ukraine minerals deal “a first of its kind economic partnership for the reconstruction and long term economic success of Ukraine.”

“President Trump has been clear from the beginning he wants the killing in this brutal war to end. This agreement shows how invested the president is in securing a truly lasting peace,” she said in a press briefing.

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement was a full economic partnership between American and Ukraine that will give president Donald Trump a stronger negotiating position.

The deal will show "Russian leadership that there is no daylight between the Ukrainian people and the American people, between our goals," Mr Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for helping to mediate prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin and Sheikh Mohammed spoke by phone on Thursday.

Mr Putin also hosted the United Arab Emirates’ deputy prime minister and the minister of interior, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Ukraine is sitting on one of Europe’s largest deposits of critical minerals, most of which remain untapped. Here are some of the key locations:

The agreement can be amended if both countries agree, the full document of the US-Ukraine minerals agreement said.

It will remain in force “until such time as the Parties agree to its termination,” the agreement said, and both sides agreed to resolve any disputes over the deal “by mutual consultation”.

“The Parties shall endeavor to agree on the interpretation and application of this Agreement and shall make every attempt through cooperation and consultations to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution of any matter that might affect its operation.”

In the agreement, the US will gain an interest in any new project involving Ukraine’s natural resources.

The list is long, and includes rare earth minerals including lithium, graphite and titanium, as well as tin, zinc, copper and gold.

Natural gas is also on the list, as is oil.

In total more than 50 commodities are included in the agreement.