Zelenskiy Receives Invitation to Sign Accord With Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he’s received an invitation to meet with Donald Trump in Washington after negotiators secured a draft agreement giving the US control over half of the war-battered country’s natural resources.

The accord is at the heart of a Trump’s efforts to fulfill his campaign pledge to bring the three-year war to an end quickly. NATO allies have been stunned by Trump’s overtures to Moscow and sudden lurch away from Kyiv, including the US president calling Zelenskiy a “dictator” and adopting the Kremlin’s talking points that Ukraine hold a wartime election.

Ukraine’s parliament passed a resolution on Tuesday saying Zelenskiy should remain in power as long as Russia’s war continues and new elections may only be held once peace has been achieved.

Meanwhile, European countries are trying to influence talks from the sidelines. French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said he expects the US to provide backup for European troops to help maintain peace once a ceasefire is agreed between Ukraine and Russia.

BP announced a major pivot back to its core oil and gas business, cutting investment in renewable energy and promising to sell assets and reduce spending. In a highly anticipated strategy update, Chief Executive Officer Murray Auchincloss scrapped a plan to pull back from oil and gas, pledging instead to slightly increase production. The changes are intended to appeal to disgruntled shareholders, which include activist Elliott Investment Management.