**Zelensky Ready to Meet Trump in US**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, once the date and other details are agreed upon. In an interview with The Guardian, Zelensky said that he is waiting for Trump’s team to agree on the dates and other details for a meeting in the US.
The two leaders may meet in Washington this week, as Trump stated earlier. However, no specific plans for a bilateral meeting have been set. Zelensky added that he is ready to discuss various options for a resource extraction deal, including rare earth minerals, as long as they are “mutually beneficial.”
**US Intensifies Contact with Ukraine and Russia**
The US administration has intensified contact with both Kyiv and Moscow as Trump aims to broker a swift peace deal and end the full-scale war nearing its third anniversary. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to visit Ukraine this week to discuss the rare earth deal, while Trump’s special peace envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will arrive on February 20.
**Russia Denies Territory Exchange**
Russia has denied exchanging territory with Ukraine or any other country. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has never discussed and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory.
**Ukraine Warns of Russian Military Expansion**
President Zelensky highlighted the disparity in forces, saying that Ukraine’s army consists of 110 brigades, while Russia fields 220 and plans to expand to 250 this year. In contrast, Europe has only about 82 combat brigades.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com