Closing summary
We are now closing the Ukraine rolling coverage. Here is a summary of events:
Washington and Moscow have reportedly begun discussions on projects related to both countries jointly exploiting Russian rare earth metals. The meeting comes after Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of attempting to “renegotiate” the minerals deal with Kyiv that would give the US access to Ukraine’s rare earths.
Trump said he is “pissed off” and “very angry” with Vladimir Putin over his approach to a ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened to levy tariffs on Moscow’s oil exports if the Russian president does not agree to a truce within a month.
Trump signalled that he would levy a 25% or 50% tariff that would affect countries buying Russian oil in a telephone interview with NBC News early Sunday morning.
The Netherlands and Sweden both announced significant security and military aid packages to help Ukraine in its continuing efforts to fend off Russian attacks.
Russia carried out airstrikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, for a second night, while Moscow accused Ukraine’s army of attacking energy sites in the Bryansk border region in a drone and artillery strike on Sunday evening.
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Poland and the US will sign an agreement worth nearly $2bn for the delivery of logistical support for the Patriot air defence system, Poland’s defence minister said on Monday.
“The safety of Polish skies has no price,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists.
The agreement with the US concerns the delivery of logistical support for the Patriot system within the armed forces and includes technical support components as well as training, Reuters reports.
Poland’s defence ministry said implementing the agreement would enable the operational readiness of Patriot launchers, which form the foundation of the Wisla programme. It aims to counter, among other things, short-range tactical ballistic missiles, including manoeuvring missiles.
Poland acquired its first two Patriot system batteries from the US in 2018 under the Wisla programme.
Galvanised by Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, Poland has become Nato’s biggest spender in terms of the proportion of its national wealth devoted to defence. Warsaw said it will spend 4.1% of GDP on defence in 2024 with a pledge to increase this to 4.7% in 2025.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has recently said every adult male would receive military training and has backed Poland withdrawing from international conventions that ban the use of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions.
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