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Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreOfficials in Donald Trump’s administration have made public demands that Ukraine should change its president. In private, lobbyists have worked to make the case for soft regime change in Kyiv in meetings with journalists and diplomats across Europe.They may believe they’re working to ‘Make America Great Again’ but they are nonetheless following a Kremlin playbook to delegitimize Volodymyr Zelensky.The effort may come to a head if President Zelensky returns to Washington to “make it right” with the US president following the breakdown of relations last week.The collapse of the bilateral relationship immediately led to the American suspension of military aid to Ukraine and a “pause” in vital intelligence sharing – a massive boost to the Russian war effort at a time when the Kremlin’s forces have been stalling.Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky clashed in the Oval Office More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreVolodymyr Zelensky has bowed to intense pressure from Donald Trump after the US suspended military aid to Kyiv, meaning Ukraine will run out of vital long-range defence missiles within days.He called the pair’s explosive White House meeting “regrettable” and pledged to enter peace talks as he desperately tried to salvage the perilous situation facing his armed forces.Mr Zelensky also proposed a possible peace plan to end the war, including the release of prisoners and a ban on missiles and drones, and said he would sign a deal giving the US access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth.The move came just hours after the US announced it was “pausing and reviewing” military aid to the country, with sources telling The Independent that Ukraine’s supplies of US Patriot missiles could leave it unable to defend itself in a matter of days.Mr Trump’s decision to pause aid came after he strongly criticised Mr Zelensky for suggesting peace was still “very, very, far away”.“Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” said Mr Zelensky in his message on X on Tuesday. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”He offered options for a truce while committing to signing the minerals deals wanted by the US in exchange for aid. Zelensky has described last week’s meeting with Trump as ‘regrettable’ More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreEmmanuel Macron has said that France and Britain are proposing a limited month-long ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure”.But Kyiv has raised reservations about any end to the fighting without security guarantees for the country against any further aggression from Vladimir Putin.Speaking more cautiously, Britain said there were several possible proposals on the table for a possible Ukraine ceasefire. European countries, led by Britain and France, are looking at options for a peace proposal including Ukraine after last week’s Oval Office rupture between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.”There are clearly a number of options on the table,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said. “I’m just not getting into a running commentary on the options.”In an interview given on his way to the summit, Mr Macron raised the possibility of a one-month ceasefire, although so far there has been no public endorsement from other allies.”Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday. “And that’s when real peace negotiations could start.”European ground troops would only be deployed to Ukraine in a second phase, Mr Macron said in the interview published in Le Figaro.Mr Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States.Mr Zelensky, asked if he was aware of the plan mentioned by Macron, told reporters in London: “I’m aware of everything.”Keir Starmer hosts European leaders for talks on peace in Ukraine, 2 March 2025 More