The US position differs from Trumpʼs public statements. The media writes that he is negotiating in his own style

In recent days, the US President Donald Trump has been sharply critical of Ukraine — calling Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” saying the war should have been “ended earlier,” and also getting irritated over Ukraine’s failure to sign a mineral agreement. However, unofficially, White House sources make it clear that the U-turn in American policy is not that drastic — and Trump is negotiating in his own, “Trumpian” style.

Volodymyr Zelensky may restore relations with the United States, sources tell Politico. According to them, Trumpʼs harsh statements to Zelensky are not related to a turn towards Russia, but to indignation over Kyivʼs refusal to sign a mineral agreement. This was publicly confirmed by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — he said that Trump is "very upset" because Ukraine should thank him for American aid and sign the agreement.

Politico notes that Kyiv needs to work more actively with Washington to conclude this agreement. And publicly criticizing Trump is not an option, because it adds fuel to the fire. Officials from the US presidential administration and Republicans from the close circle of his team are convinced that his critical statements are an example of the usual defiant negotiation tactics.

The importance of the minerals deal. Trump wants to sign the deal with Ukraine before the United States increases military support for Kyiv or mediates in formal peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters sources said. It is important for Trump to publicly show US voters that Washington is repaying the aid it has provided to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, negotiations on the deal are ongoing. The United States recently showed Kyiv an updated version of the document, according to Axios sources, that takes into account Ukraineʼs concerns. Some of Zelenskyʼs aides have urged him to sign the updated version as soon as possible to avoid a confrontation with Trump and justify his support for Ukraine in the eyes of the Americans.

A “departure” from the American position. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hours after meeting with the Russian delegation in Riyadh on February 18, assured European allies that the talks with Moscow were not a sharp reversal of American policy, writes The New York Times. He assured that the talks were needed to check whether the Kremlin was serious about ending the war.

Rubio assured that the United States will not impose any agreement on Ukraine and Europe. And that Washington will not lift sanctions against Russia in the absence of a noticeable change in Moscowʼs behaviour. But it is possible that some of them will be eased if the Russians begin to take the measures that the United States seeks. But he understands that the Kremlin could use the negotiations to sow discord in the West. Ukrainian intelligence warned about this — they say, on the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Russia will spread the narrative that "Ukraine was betrayed" by the West and the United States.

This was also reported by the Financial Times, citing American officials. According to sources, Washington is now checking how much Russia really wants to end the war in Ukraine. Discussions of economic and geopolitical cooperation are an attempt to induce Moscow to end the war and show that the restoration of bilateral contacts will bring greater benefits.

And what about Russia? Trumpʼs negotiating strategy is not understood in Moscow either, Bloomberg wrote. The Kremlin was "taken by surprise" by Trumpʼs harsh statements about Zelensky, and now Russia is afraid of "traps" and unexpected turns during the negotiations.

• On February 18, Russia and the United States held their first talks in Saudi Arabia. No specific date was agreed upon for the meeting between Putin and Trump. Trump said it could happen "very soon", and the Kremlin did not rule out the possibility that it could happen by the end of February.

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