Key Points
- US President Donald Trump says he expects a deal on critical minerals to be signed soon.
- A Russian strike on a school and hospital has wounded 74.
- A US delegation held talks with Ukraine and Russia.
US President Donald Trump said he expects a US-Ukraine revenue-sharing agreement on Ukrainian critical minerals will be signed soon.
Trump also told reporters as he met his cabinet that the US is talking to Ukraine about the potential for American firms owning Ukrainian power plants.
A US delegation met with Ukrainian officials on Sunday and with Russian officials overnight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The talks have focused mostly on a Black Sea ceasefire, but Trump said other issues are coming up as he pushes for a halt to Russia's three-year war against Ukraine.
"We're talking about territory right now. We're talking about lines of demarcation, Talking about power, power plant ownership. Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant ... because we have the expertise," he said.
Russian attack continues amid ceasefire talks
A Russian missile strike damaged a school and a hospital in Ukraine overnight, wounding at least 74 people, as US and Russian officials discussed a narrow proposal for a ceasefire at sea in the hope it could lead to wider peace talks.
The talks in Saudi Arabia, where a Ukrainian delegation was present on the sidelines, so far have only modest objectives but are being presented by Washington as a step in Trump's effort to end the three-year-old war.
Trump himself listed other issues he said were on the table: "We're talking about territory right now. We're talking about lines of demarcation, talking about power, power plant ownership."
Russia rejected a proposal by Trump last week for a full 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, and has so far agreed only to a moratorium on attacking energy infrastructure.
"Russia is the only one dragging this war out," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says. Source: Getty / Hu Yousong
"Moscow speaks of peace while carrying out brutal strikes on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The talks in Saudi Arabia follow phone calls last week between Trump and the two presidents, Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
But although Ukraine had previously agreed to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire, Putin agreed only to pause attacks on energy targets.
Kyiv then said it would also accept a moratorium on hitting energy targets if a formal document is signed.
Even as the talks have unfolded, Moscow has launched three straight nights of air attacks on Kyiv, filling the air above the capital with anti-aircraft fire.
The White House says the initial aim of the Saudi talks is to secure a maritime truce in the Black Sea, allowing the free flow of shipping.
Trump has expressed broad satisfaction over the way talks have been going and has been complimentary about Putin's engagement.
Putin says he is ready to discuss peace but that Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of four Ukrainian regions that Russia has unilaterally annexed.
