Ukraine marks 3rd anniversary of war

Kyiv, Ukraine Feb. 26: A  dozen leaders from Europe and Canada are in Ukraine to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion and discuss support with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

U.S. policies on Russia and Ukraine are shifting dramatically under President Donald Trump. Questions about possible peace talks and Ukraine's interest in European Union and NATO membership loom large.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has not discussed resolving the conflict in Ukraine in detail with Trump, and that Russian and U.S. negotiating teams didn't discuss it when they met in Saudi Arabia last week.

Putin also said Russia does not rule out European countries participating in a peace settlement. Earlier Monday, Trump said Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Putin has previously indicated Russia will not accept Western forces in Ukraine. Putin's latest comments were broadcast on state television, and it is unclear when they were filmed.

Trump says Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war. "Yeah, he will accept it," Trump said. "I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for world war."

Trump says he is hopeful the United States and Ukraine will soon come to terms on a rare earth minerals deal. "It looks like we're getting very close," Trump told reporters. He added that Zelenskyy could potentially visit Washington this week or next to sign the deal.

But Trump did not say whether the emerging deal would include U.S. security guarantees. "Europe is going to make sure nothing happens," he said.

The United States has failed to get the U.N. General Assembly to approve its resolution seeking to end the war without mentioning Russian aggression.

The assembly amended the U.S. draft resolution to add language making clear that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in violation of the U.N. Charter.

The vote in the 193-member world body, whose resolutions are not legally binding, was 93-18 with 65 abstentions. That's lower than previous resolutions that saw over 140 nations condemn Russia's aggression and demand a reversal of its annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says the seven Nordic and Baltic countries will train and equip a brigade of the Ukrainian army of between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers. And Norway will offer the equivalent of $11.2 million to strengthen Ukraine's and Moldova's energy systems.

The head of the European Union's executive branch, Ursula von der Leyen, has praised Ukraine's progress toward bloc membership and held out the possibility of entry before 2030.

She emphasized the process of EU accession is "merit-based" and candidates must comply with conditions and enact reforms. But she added, "Ukraine's merit-based process, if they continue at that speed and at that quality, perhaps they could be earlier than 2030."

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gitanas Nauseda says European countries will have to assess popular support for any European peacekeeping forces stationed in Ukraine to uphold any future peace agreement. (AP)