Good morning from the Financial Times.
Today is Wednesday, February 19th, and this is your FT news briefing.
The US and Russia held talks yesterday to end the war in Ukraine.
And Donald Trump has a plan for Ukraine's rare earth minerals.
So it's actually an offer for Trump to take everything and give very little, if anything, in return.
Plus, investors are having a big reaction to mini nuclear reactors.
I'm Mark Filippino and here's the news you need to start your day.
The US And Russia are making moves to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Senior officials from both countries met yesterday in Saudi Arabia.
It was their first time meeting since the full scale invasion began in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the talks.
The US And Russia agreed to quickly normalize relations and, quote,
lay the groundwork for future cooperation on finding a peace deal.
Both sides said that a deal could involve some kind of economic or investment component.
Zelensky has said Kyiv will reject any deal it didn't have a hand in. European leaders are scrambling to respond.
French President Emmanuel Macron is planning an emergency meeting between them today.
It's the second so far this week.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is after Ukraine's rare and precious metals.
His administration is floating a plan that would give the US a stake
in the country's vast natural resources.