2025-02-28 20:33

March 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trumpclashed at a White House meeting that ended in disaster on Friday, prompting an outpouring of reaction from across the globe. ZELENSKIY ON X "Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that." In a social media post on Saturday: "It is very important for us that Ukraine is heard and that no one forgets about it, neither during the war nor after. It is important for people in Ukraine to know that they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country, in every corner of the world." CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU ON X "Russia illegally and unjustifiably invaded Ukraine. For three years now, Ukrainians have fought with courage and resilience. Their fight for democracy, freedom, and sovereignty is a fight that matters to us all. Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace." GERMAN CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZ "No one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine! That is why we are jointly seeking the path to a lasting and just peace. Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe." FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON TO REPORTERS IN PORTUGAL: "Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the aggressed people. I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so. We, that is the United States of America, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese and many others. And we must thank all those who have helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning. Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children and the security of Europe. These are simple things, but they're good to remember at times like these, that's all. ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI "Every division of the West makes us all weaker and favours those who would like to see the decline of our civilisation. Not of its power or influence, but of the principles that founded it, first and foremost freedom. A division would not benefit anyone. What is needed is an immediate summit between the United States, European states and allies to talk frankly about how we intend to deal with the great challenges of today, starting with Ukraine, which we have defended together in recent years, and those that we will be called upon to face in the future. This is the proposal that Italy intends to make to its partners in the coming hours." SPOKESPERSON FOR BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER "He retains his unwavering support for Ukraine and is playing his part to find a path forward to a lasting peace, based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine." AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE "We will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, because this is the struggle of a democratic nation versus an authoritarian regime led by Vladimir Putin, who clearly has imperialistic designs, not just on Ukraine, but throughout that region." CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MELANIE JOLY ON X "Canada remains committed to providing the necessary assistance to ensure Ukraine's security, sovereignty, and resilience." DENMARK'S FOREIGN MINISTER LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN ON FACEBOOK "It's a punch in the gut for Ukraine. ... There must be room for robust conversations - even between friends. But when it happens in front of rolling cameras like that, there is only one winner. And he sits in the Kremlin." FORMER RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIA'S SECURITY COUNCIL, ON TELEGRAM "A brutal dressing down in the Oval Office." EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN ON X "Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President. "We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace." MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT MAIA SANDU ON X "The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom - and ours. We stand with Ukraine." SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ ON X "Ukraine, Spain stands with you." HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ON X "Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President @realDonaldTrump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!" NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER JONAS GAHR STOERE IN STATEMENT TO TV2 "What we saw from the White House today is serious and disheartening. Ukraine still needs the US's support, and Ukraine's security and future are also important to the US and to Europe. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has strong support in Ukraine, broad support in Europe, and he has led his people through a very demanding and brutal time, under attack from Russia. That Trump accuses Zelenskiy of gambling with World War III is deeply unreasonable and a statement I distance myself from. Norway stands with Ukraine in their struggle for freedom. We hope that the Trump administration also understands the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine." CZECH PRESIDENT PETR PAVEL ON X "We stand with Ukraine more than ever. Time for Europe to step up its efforts." DUTCH PRIME MINISTER DICK SCHOOF "The Netherlands continues to support Ukraine. Especially now. We want lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression that Russia has started. For Ukraine, for all its inhabitants and for Europe." ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MARGUS TSAHKNA ON X "The only obstacle to peace is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's decision to continue his war of aggression. If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Estonia's support to Ukraine remains unwavering. Time for Europe to step up." POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK ON X "Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone." GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE "Yesterday, once again, a clear line was drawn between the war party and the peace party. I am referring not so much to the debate between Trump and Zelenskiy, but to the subsequent reactions to this debate. President Trump and his peace efforts were condemned one after another by people responsible for allowing a bloody war and callously sacrificing Ukraine and the lives of thousands of Ukrainians." GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER GEORGE GERAPETRITIS U.S. support in the conflict in Ukraine is necessary, although Europe still needs to upgrade its own defence infrastructure, the minister said. SWISS PRESIDENT KARIN KELLER-SUTTER ON X "Switzerland remains firmly committed to supporting a just and lasting peace, while condemning Russia's aggression against a sovereign state." JOHANN WADEPHUL, DEPUTY OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY-GROUP IN GERMAN PARLIAMENT, THE PARTY OF INCOMING CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ, ON X "The scenes from the White House are shocking. How can you stab the president of an invaded country in the back like this? Free Europe will not betray Ukraine!" ITALIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MATTEO SALVINI, LEADER OF THE FAR-RIGHT LEAGUE PARTY ON X "Aim for PEACE, stop this war! Come on @realDonaldTrump". Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/world-reacts-zelenskiy-trump-oval-office-clash-2025-02-28/

2025-02-28 20:32

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trumpclashed at a White House meeting on Friday, prompting an outpouring of reaction from members of Congress and other officials. U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ ON X "President Trump is trying to achieve peace and this economic deal was part of it. Instead, President Zelensky chose to come into the Oval Office and downplay American contributions to defending Ukraine and disrespect our country. Too many people are dying to keep demanding more." PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO "The Oval Office should be a place where we advance American values – not where we retreat from them. When the President and Vice President attacked President Zelenskyy today, they served to undermine the safety and security of America and our national security interests. I support a diplomatic end to this war. Achieving this requires an honest reckoning of who started the war and who the aggressor is, and to that question, there is only one answer: Russia." STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON TAMMY BRUCE TO FOX BUSINESS “What of course, we always recognize, and what's vitally important in the diplomatic world and the democratic world is that the people of Ukraine will decide those issues…. President Zelenskiy I think maybe is having some second thoughts, but he has a chance to turn this around, and he probably should, for the sake of his people.” REPUBLICAN MICHAEL MCCAUL, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE "I remain hopeful that we can still achieve a real and lasting peace in Ukraine that ensures Ukraine will be free from further Russian aggression. I also urge President Zelensky to sign the mineral deal immediately. It will create an economic partnership between the United States and Ukraine. It is in both of our interests to get this deal done." SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM OF TRUMP'S REPUBLICAN PARTY, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS: "What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful and I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelenskiy again." "He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change." REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE DON BACON "A bad day for America's foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.-Rep. Bacon in an emailed statement." SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN, RANKING DEMOCRAT ON THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, ON WMUR TV IN NEW HAMPSHIRE "It's distressing to see the President is walking away from our commitment in Ukraine, and doesn't seem to understand what a murderous dictator Vladimir Putin is." REPUBLICAN SENATOR BILL HAGERTY, WHO WAS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN DURING TRUMP'S FIRST TERM, ON X "The United States of America will no longer be taken for granted. The contrast between the last four years and now could not be more clear. Thank you, Mr. President." REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE RALPH NORMAN ON X "THIS is strong leadership that is ensuring we put the American people FIRST. Thank you @realDonaldTrump and @JDVance for standing up for our nation." HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES IN A STATEMENT "President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage. Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator. The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin. "For three years, President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood on the side of democracy, freedom and truth. Their success is in the national security interests of the United States. We should stand with Ukraine until victory is won." DEMOCRATIC SENATOR JACK REED, RANKING MEMBER OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, IN A STATEMENT “Today’s spectacle in the Oval Office was a political ambush and a shameful failure of American leadership. “President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine are fighting for their very lives and existence. Unlike Donald Trump or JD Vance, I have traveled to Ukraine and seen firsthand the death and destruction wrought by Vladimir Putin against innocent people. To mock Ukraine and our allies is a travesty that only benefits (Russian President Vladimir) Putin." “Furthermore, today’s cruel and callous display does great harm to U.S. standing in the world. Trump and Vance are communicating to the world that the United States is not to be trusted. Adversaries and allies alike will take note." DEMOCRAT GREGORY MEEKS, RANKING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, IN A STATEMENT “The world just watched the supposed leader of the free world throw a temper tantrum in the Oval Office, lashing out at a war-time President fighting for his nation’s survival. Trump and (Vice President JD) Vance’s outburst did nothing to advance America’s interests or bring Ukraine closer to a just and sustainable peace." Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/lawmakers-us-congress-react-zelenskiy-trump-oval-office-clash-2025-02-28/

2025-02-28 20:25

Lithium development faces security and financial challenges Ukraine's mineral mapping and exploration lagging behind Security guarantees seen as key to aiding deposit development Zelenskiy leaves White House without signing deal LONDON/KOPANKY, Ukraine, Feb 28 (Reuters) - On snow-covered fields in central Ukraine, where some of the country's biggest proven lithium deposits are located, a small team of ecological consultants drop sensors into holes in the earth to measure water levels. The environmental survey, contracted by the small Ukrainian mining company that holds the license, UkrLithiumMining, comes years ahead of any mining operations at the undeveloped site. It underlines how much work is still to be done before a proposed minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States generates significant revenue for either side. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Washington on Friday to oversee the sealing of the deal, but the leaders engaged in an angry exchange of words of words before the world's media and left the agreement unsigned. Trump had said a deal could be America's way of earning back some of the money it has given to Ukraine in the form of financial aid and weaponry to help fight Russia, which invaded three years ago. But the clash in the Oval Office cast the agreement's future into doubt. A senior U.S. official told Reuters afterwards that Trump had not ruled out a deal, but not until Ukraine was ready to have a constructive conversation. For Denys Alyoshin, chief strategy officer of UkrLithiumMining, an agreement would be a step in the right direction because U.S. engagement makes Ukraine less vulnerable to Russian aggression in the longer term, he said. But without some form of Western security guarantee developing the Polokhivske lithium deposit would be tough, he said. The deposit - one of the largest in Europe - is located just 240 km (149 miles) northwest of the frontline with Russia. "Before the war broke out, I had a lot of commercial negotiations with ... investors who were interested in the project," Alyoshin told Reuters. "But when the war started ... a rational CEO would not go to a country where there is a war, they would go to Zimbabwe, Canada or Africa. There are many places to go where there is no war." Despite repeated requests from Zelenskiy, the Trump administration has offered Kyiv no security guarantee. That has raised doubts over the commercial feasibility of developing deposits of rare mineral resources, used in high-tech devices and batteries, given the risks of a return to war even if a ceasefire is agreed with Russia this year. A draft of the minerals deal, reviewed by Reuters, contained reassuring language but no guarantees of security. It focused instead on the creation of a joint U.S.-Ukraine managed "Reconstruction Investment Fund" to which Kyiv will contribute 50% of revenues of future monetization of state-owned natural resources. Furthermore, the terms of the deal are broad and further negotiations will be needed to pin down details, four experts told Reuters. Even if a lasting peace returns to Ukraine, UkrLithiumMining needs to raise $350 million and requires at least 1.5 years to conduct a feasibility study before it can start building a mine and enrichment plant, Alyoshin said. "It means we will be able to reach steady stage production ... it can be 2029." The next U.S. presidential elections are due to take place in 2028, and Trump, the champion of minerals cooperation as a means of securing peace, would be constitutionally barred from running again, having served one term already. However, seven mining executives and industry analysts told Reuters that Alyoshin's timeline is optimistic. Exploration periods are typically four years; a feasibility study would take another year before the construction of a processing plant can even begin. "The reality is that most lithium deposits in Ukraine were identified in the Soviet era and we haven't had any real updates or exploration for many years," said Federico Gay, analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), a London-based specialist information provider for the supply chain of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. "Even if everything stacks up, it would take a minimum of eight years for the Polokhivske deposit to be developed to the stage where it is producing usable lithium," he said. Moreover, the deposit is deep and may require up to $800 million just to construct the mine and concentrator, said Gay, who added that another $1 billion investment would likely be needed to produce the lithium compounds needed for batteries. Despite the challenges, Alyoshin said his company eventually planned to produce about 1.5 million tonnes of raw ore a year and process that into 300,000 tonnes of petalite concentrate - a more lithium-rich substance. With additional investment, Alyoshin added the concentrate could be further refined to produce 22,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate. The specifics of planned production and processing timelines at the Polokhivske deposit have not been reported previously. CLASSIFIED RESERVES Demand for the minerals is high. Lithium is used in electric vehicle batteries, while rare earths are used in everything from auto motors to wind turbines to advanced military weapons systems. But turning Ukraine's reserves of lithium and rare earths into operating mines and constructing processing facilities is a mammoth undertaking, according to more than 10 analysts and mining industry experts. Ukraine's economy ministry and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this article. Ukraine does not produce any rare earths but, according to Ukraine's Institute of Geology, possesses large deposits of such minerals, including lanthanum, cerium, neodymium and yttrium. Detailed data about those reserves is classified. Private investors might be wary of a deal in which the U.S. received mined minerals in return for security guarantees, protection from future Russian attacks and aid. The mining industry would normally use royalty deals as a way to get financing from investors in return for a percentage of revenues from sales once production begins. Any deal by Trump to access Ukraine's critical minerals won't get the United States anywhere close to challenging China's sizeable advantage in those key minerals, while he is in power. "Yes, it's a counter to China, but you've still got the problem of where the minerals are going to be processed and how long it's going to take," said Julian Kettle, Vice Chair Metals and Mining at natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie. "Ukraine produces titanium and it has extensive graphite and lithium deposits. You can expand production at existing mines. But when it comes new frontier development, discovery to delivery of material could take up to 10 years." China is already the world's third-largest lithium producer, after Australia and Chile. It is also the world's top producer of rare earth elements, which include neodymium used to make strong, light, powerful permanent magnets used in defense equipment. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a government agency, does not provide details of lithium production in the United States. It estimated 45,000 metric tons of rare earth oxides in mineral concentrates were produced last year - which would make the U.S. the second-largest concentrate producer after China. But the gap is large. According to USGS, China mined 270,000 metric tons of rare earth elements last year or 69% of the global total. And it has an even tighter stranglehold over the processing of rare earths - a complex and polluting process. Many companies that mine rare earth minerals still have to send their concentrate to China to be processed, meaning Beijing produces more than 90% of the world's rare earth elements. MORE NEGOTIATION TO BE DONE Dominic Raab, head of global affairs at Appian Capital Advisory, a private equity firm that invests in mining companies, said he viewed the deal between the U.S. and Ukraine as a positive step forward in helping fund Ukraine's redevelopment. "There's plenty more due diligence and negotiation to be done,"said Raab, who previously served as former deputy prime minister and foreign secretary for the United Kingdom. Appian would be interested in investing in Ukraine's minerals projects were there more information on the country's geological potential, Raab said. Ukraine has deposits of 22 of the 50 minerals classified as critical by the U.S. government and has significant deposits of lithium, graphite, titanium, uranium used to generate nuclear power, alongside rare earth elements, according to BMI. "Ukraine hasn't been mapped in 30 years. There's so much more to be done before we get to a phase of advanced exploration in Ukraine," said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical minerals security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an American think-tank. But she said that mining - which consumes around one-fifth of energy globally - required robust electricity infrastructure: "Ukraine has been bombed out. It's not really a competitor given the state of infrastructure and a huge security risk." Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/even-after-trump-deal-ukraine-faces-long-uncertain-road-mining-boom-2025-02-28/

2025-02-28 20:23

SAO PAULO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is considering cutting import taxes on ethanol in a bid to appease U.S. President Donald Trump and as a way to help tame inflation, newspaper O Globo reported on Friday, citing sources. By reducing ethanol import taxes, Brazil is hoping to attempt to convince the U.S. government to make an exception to the Latin American nation in a recently announced 25% tariff , opens new tab on aluminum and steel imports, the report said. Brazil's industry and trade ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the White House released a fact sheet citing Brazil's ethanol tariffs as an example of unfair trade practices. At the time, energy and mining minister said that a potential U.S. tariff on the fuel would be unreasonable. Ethanol and sugar trade is typically negotiated together, and the United States maintains a tariff on sugar, the minister argued. Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin was reportedly set to have a call with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday to discuss tariffs. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/brazil-considers-cutting-ethanol-import-tax-nod-trump-report-says-2025-02-28/

2025-02-28 20:16

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Two Democrats in Congress said on Friday that Republicans have raised the risk of a government shutdown by insisting on including cuts made by President Donald Trump , opens new tab's administration in legislation to keep the government operating past a mid-March deadline. Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrats on the committees that oversee spending, said in a statement that the Republican proposal to include cuts made by tech billionaire Elon Musk would give Trump too much power to spend as he pleased, even though Congress oversees federal funding. "It’s incredibly disappointing that Republican leadership is walking away from bipartisan negotiations to fund the government," the Democrats' statement said. Republican negotiators did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawmakers face a March 14 deadline to pass a bill to fund the government, or risk a government shutdown. While appropriators from both parties have agreed to fund the government at an overall level of $1.678 trillion until September 30, the end of the fiscal year, they are divided over the Trump administration's efforts to freeze funding and pare down the federal workforce. Republican appropriators have said they want to maintain spending at levels set under former Democratic President Joe Biden, and have rejected the Democrats' demands to roll back Trump's actions on funding. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-appropriators-say-republicans-have-left-us-government-funding-talks-2025-02-28/

2025-02-28 20:00

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Agrichemicals firm FMC Corp (FMC.N) , opens new tab said on Friday that the ongoing U.S.-China trade tariffs standoff could have an adverse impact on its business, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier in February, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on imports from China, which is the largest supplier of critical intermediates and finished products for FMC. The reciprocal tariffs imposed by China on specific U.S. imports have also intensified the ongoing trade uncertainties. FMC said that any inability to obtain raw materials or execute contract manufacturing arrangements could negatively affect its production and result in operational disruption. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/fmc-corp-sees-business-hit-us-china-trade-war-2025-02-28/