While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 22, 2025

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz speaking at a press conference on Feb 20. PHOTO: NYTIMES

UPDATED Feb 22, 2025, 05:30 AM

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White House expects Ukraine to sign critical minerals deal soon

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Feb 21 he expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war, while President Donald Trump said Kyiv has no cards to play.

Mr Zelensky’s office said the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Mr Andriy Yermak, discussed “aligning positions” in bilateral relations in a call with Mr Waltz on Feb 21 after sharp exchanges between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.

Mr Trump denounced Mr Zelensky as a “dictator” on Feb 20 and warned he had to move quickly to secure peace with Russia or risk losing his country, deepening a feud between the two leaders.

The sharp change in tone from the United States, Ukraine’s most important backer, has alarmed European officials and stoked fears that Kyiv could be forced into a peace deal that favours Russian President Vladimir Putin.