Ukraine-Russia war latest: US ‘on brink’ of rare earth minerals deal with Kyiv on third anniversary of war

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has called on countries to “spare no effort” in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

We must “achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” he told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

His remarks come ahead of a UN showdown on Ukraine later on Monday in New York, with the United States urging the General Assembly to support its resolution which it says is focused on ending the war and pits it against a rival text by Ukraine and European allies.

The motion includes the UN demand that Russia withdraw its troops and halt hostilities.

Washington left its seat at the human rights council empty on Monday, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to disengage from the body which is the only intergovernmental organisation designed to protect human rights.

Thirteen-year-old Liza watched on as her home was destroyed by a Russian warplane during the liberation of her hometown in September 2022.

“I was happy, I had my happy childhood, and it never came back.”

Read 15-year-old Liza and 12-year-old Oleksandr’s stories:

Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese president Xi Jinping by phone on the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin briefed Mr Xi on recent contacts between Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia last week, the Kremlin said, where Moscow says they agreed with the White House to start work on restoring bilateral ties and preparing for Ukraine peace talks.

Mr Xi expressed his support for the dialogue between Moscow and Washington and said China was ready to help find a peace settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin added.

It is the second call the leaders have held this year. Since the war began in February 2022, Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for its invasion.

Ukraine and the US are in the final stages of negotiations in a deal for Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Kyiv’s deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna said.

Ms Stefanishyna said in a post on X Kyiv was committed to completing the deal as “swiftly as possible” – before deleting the post minutes later.

Ukraine has offered to sign the deal in Washington, D.C in a meeting between the two presidents, the post added.

It comes days after the White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Ukraine would sign the deal in the “very short term”.

Ukraine had previously rejected US president Donald Trump’s demands for $500 billion of profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals to compensate for its wartime loans.

This figure is far higher than the total support provided to Kyiv by the White House, Ukraine said.

More details are emerging about the explosions at the Russian consulate in Marseille.

Two projectiles were thrown at the perimeter wall of Russia’s consulate in the southern French port city of Marseille on Monday, one of which exploded, a French security source confirmed to Reuters.

BFMTV reported that the projectiles were Molotov cocktails and that they landed in the garden of the consulate.

The security source added that no one was injured in the explosions.

Russia has said the incident looks like an act of terrorism and has called for a full French investigation, state news agency TASS reported.

“The explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack,” TASS quoted Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau spoke at the Support Ukraine event in Kyiv today.

“Regardless of the great distance separating out two countries, Canada knows this is not a war that we can afford to ignore,” he said.

“This is a war of aggression on Ukraine’s people, culture, identity and very existence.

“But it’s also a war on our way of life. It’s a war on democracy, on the rule of law, on self determination, a war on justice and a war on truth.

“Ukrainians will triumph because Ukrainians are fighting for what is right. But they cannot and should not do it alone.”

Canadian prime minister has condemned Russia’s forced deportation of children as a “disgusting war crime”.

In a speech at the event in Ukraine to mark the war’s third anniversary, he said: “Ukrainians have list their lives fighting courageously for their land. Children taken from their families, and homes, and commutes, which is a disgusting war crime.

“And violence subjected to prisoners of war taken by Russia.”

Mr Trudeau also announced a boost in military and financial support to Ukraine, including first installment of $5 billion from frozen Russian assets and a grant to help Ukraine maintain its energy security, will also be soon issued.

The European Union has agreed to impose fresh sanctions on Russia as it marks its support for Ukraine on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.

“We have to support Ukraine right now, more than ever,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The 16th sanctions package against Russia, agreed on Monday, includes a ban on primary aluminium imports and sales of gaming consoles, as well as listing owners and operators of 74 so-called shadow fleet vessels used to evade sanctions.

It came ahead of a number of meetings in Brussels, Kyiv and Washington this week.

The Ukrainian military said on Monday its drone forces hit Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery overnight, with at least five explosions in the vicinity.

A fire started at the refinery, which supplies Russian troops, the military said.

A separate Russian oil depot was hit in the Tula region.