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Zelenskyy faces perilous re-election odds as US, Russia push Ukraine to go to the polls as part of peace deal

Nearly one year past the expiration of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first five-year term, the U.S. and Russia are in agreement that Ukrainians must go to the polls and decide whether to keep their head of state.

Russia has insisted it will not sign a peace agreement until Ukraine agrees to hold elections, and the U.S. is now “floating” the idea of a three-stage plan: ceasefire, then Ukrainian elections, then inking of a peace deal.

Zelenskyy’s term in office was supposed to end last May, with elections originally slated for April 2024. But the president’s aides have said elections will not be held until six months after the end of martial law. The Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law.

With his popularity having plummeted nearly 40% since the war’s outbreak, Zelenskyy’s future could be in jeopardy if peace is reached and elections are triggered.

US, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS PROPOSE PEACE PLAN, LAY ‘GROUNDWORK FOR COOPERATION’ IN RIYADH

Putin has said he won’t sign a peace agreement unless Ukraine agrees to hold elections. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool)

Earlier this month, Trump’s envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg said Washington wants Kyiv to hold elections, possibly by the end of the year, as soon as a peace deal is brokered.

Zelenskyy shot back that Ukrainians were alarmed by such statements.

“It is very important for Kellogg to come to Ukraine. Then he would understand the people and all our circumstances,” Zelenskyy said, in comments to The Guardian.

Other U.S. politicians called for Ukraine to have its elections on schedule last year.

AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA RELEASED AS OFFICIALS WORK TO SET UP POTENTIAL TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING

Ukraine advocates say post-war elections would be a far better option, but elections offer Russia an opportunity to sow chaos.

“The only person that benefits from elections before there’s a durable peace deal is Putin,” said Andrew D’Anieri, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. “The Kremlin loves elections, not in their own country, but elsewhere, because it provides an opportunity to destabilize things.”

Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko also claimed that Ukrainian authorities would have an election before the end of the year. “Write it down – Oct. 26 this year,” he said in a recent interview.

But Davyd Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, denied Poroshenko’s claim in a Telegram post.

Zelenskyy has resisted lifting martial law to be able to hold elections. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo)

“During martial law, elections are impossible to hold […] The leaders of all parties have agreed that elections will not be held until at least six months after the end of martial law,” Arakhamia said.

Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president from 2014 to 2019 who amassed his fortunes in the confectionary business, lost out to Zelenskyy in his bid for a second term. Seen as a possible contender for a rematch, Poroshenko previously opposed holding elections before the war’s conclusion, arguing Putin would use propaganda to undermine them.

But some have begun to question whether Zelenskyy could survive a re-election campaign.

Zelenskyy saw approval rates soar to 90% at the onset of the war in 2022, but took a dip to around 50%, according to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll of 2,000 respondents in December.

“Zelenskyy’s prospects to win the elections are contingent upon the exact terms of the ceasefire, namely, the public perception of them as a ‘victory,’ ‘honorable draw’ or ‘defeat,’” said Ivan Gomza, public policy professor at the Kyiv School of Economics. “The cessation of hostilities are hardly plausible in 2025. Moreover, elections require preparations… elections are very unlikely until at least 2026.

U.S. officials were in Riyadh to meet with their Russian counterparts on a peace agreement on Tuesday. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool)

“Zelensky is unlikely to win the elections, if they were to be held in Ukraine, because his popularity dropped significantly at the end of 2024,” said Russian-born U.S. intelligence expert Rebekah Koffler. “Ukrainians are exhausted by the war and many have come to the realization that it’s unwinnable for Ukraine.”

“The Russians, in turn, will almost certainly run clandestine operations to influence the elections in order to elect a pro-Russian candidate,” Koffler added.

Zelenskyy has also lost his main benefactor from the first election, Ihor Kolomoyski, who was indicted in both the U.S. and Ukraine on charges of money laundering and bank fraud.

Zelenskyy’s main opponent is expected to be Valerii Zaluzhnyi, a four-star general and the current ambassador to the United Kingdom. Zelenskyy fired Zaluzhnyi as head of the armed forces last year in a major – and politically unpopular – shakeup. Zaluzhny had claimed the war with Russia had reached a stalemate in late 2023.

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others attend a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, on Feb. 14, 2025. (Olha Tanasiichuk/Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM)

Russia, though it insists on elections as part of negotiations, is not likely to win a more favorable, pro-Russia Ukrainian government in any outcome of an election.

“All the frontrunners in the election will be pro-Western, pro-European candidates who want to defend the country against Russia and probably agree on most matters, including on foreign affairs and defense, but have their own kind of domestic political issues where they differ,” said D’Anieri.

“The only people that come anywhere close to Zelenskyy in the polls are people like General Zaluzhnyi, with really established, patriotic credentials in Ukraine,” said Henry Hale, professor at George Washington University who specializes in public opinion in Ukraine. “Any of the pro-Russian forces don’t really have much standing there.”

Zelenskyy banned 11 political parties over ties to Russia in 2022. Many of the nation’s pro-Russia lawmakers have fled over the border – and four MPs were stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship over ties to Russia in 2023.

Some lawmakers who belonged to the outlawed political groups simply switched party affiliations. And faced with a dwindling coalition without elections to replace members of parliament who switch jobs or join the military, Zelenskyy has since been forced to rely on members of parliament who were previously part of the now-banned pro-Russia parties for votes.

Hale predicted that if an election were held before a peace deal had been inked, it would boost Zelenskyy’s chances of re-election.

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“Even though there are a lot of people in Ukraine who don’t think that he’s done the best job managing the war effort, there’s still a very strong push in the population to rally support around him as the symbol of the resistance.

“A lot of people who are actually critical of him would still vote for him, just so as not to risk changing horses in midstream,” Hale went on. “If you get a peace deal, it has credible security guarantees in it, then, yeah, afterwards they have elections, and you might see some real strong competition.

“And I think at that point it becomes a very open question whether or not Zelenskyy would win.”

February 18, 2025
White House rips Zelenskyy’s ‘short-sighted’ refusal to sign US minerals deal

A senior White House official reportedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision not to sign a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

“President Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the Associated Press.

Hughes said a minerals deal would allow American taxpayers to “recoup” some of the billions in U.S. aid sent to Kyiv during the Biden administration, while growing Ukraine’s economy. The White House believes “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace,” the National Security Council spokesman said, adding: “The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this.”

Hughes did not explicitly confirm the proposal, which the AP reported was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYS PUTIN, ZELENSKYY AGREE ‘ONLY PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD GET THEM TO THE TABLE’

Vice-President JD Vance, second right, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, third right, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third left, meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

One current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks told the AP that the offer did not include any specific security guarantees in return for rare earth mineral access.

The proposal focused on how the U.S. could use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid, the current and former senior Ukrainian officials said, speaking anonymously to the AP. Zelenskyy said he directed his ministers not to sign off on the proposed agreement because the document was too focused on U.S. interests.

“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told the AP on Saturday in Munich.

Ukraine has vast reserves of critical minerals that are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. The Trump administration has indicated it is interested in accessing them to reduce dependence on China.

Zelenskyy reportedly said he considered it “very important the connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment” in order to deter another Russian invasion.

The document was reportedly given to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on a visit to Kyiv.

“It’s a colonial agreement and Zelenskyy cannot sign it,” the former Ukrainian senior official told the AP.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent give a press conference during their meeting in Kyiv on Feb. 12, 2025. (TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Sunday rejected the notion that European allies are not being consulted on negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, as the Trump administration is reportedly to begin talks with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia this week. In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would convene an emergency meeting between the main European powers in Paris on Monday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Walz told “Fox News Sunday” that Vance, Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed in talks with Zelenskyy the importance of “entering into a partnership with the United States,” and being “co-invested with President Trump, with the American people going forward.”

“The American people deserve to be recouped, deserve to have some type of payback for the billions they have invested in this war,” Waltz said. “I can’t think of anything that would make the American people more comfortable with future investments than if we were able to be in a partnership and have the American people made whole. And I’ll point out that much of the European aid is actually in the form of a loan. That is repaid. It’s repaid with interest on Russian assets. So President Trump is rethinking the entire dynamic here. That has some people uncomfortable, but I think Zelenskyy would be very wise to enter into this agreement with the United States. There’s no better way to secure them going forward, and further, there was a question of whether Putin would come to the table. He has now done so under President Trump’s leadership, and we’re going to continue those talks in the coming weeks at President Trump’s direction.”

U.S. officials in discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in Munich were commercially minded and largely concentrated on the specifics of exploring the minerals and how to form a possible partnership to do that with Ukraine, the senior official said. The potential value of the deposits in Ukraine has not yet been discussed, with much unexplored or close to the front line. The U.S. proposal apparently did not take into account how the deposits would be secured if the war continued.

TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT OFFERS ZELENSKYY AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEAL

Zelenskyy and Vance did not discuss the details of the U.S. document during their meeting Friday at the Munich conference, the senior official said.

That meeting was “very good” and “substantive,” with Vance making it clear his and Trump’s main goal was to achieve a durable, lasting peace, the senior official said. Zelenskyy told Vance that real peace requires Ukraine to be in a “strong position” when starting negotiations, stressing that the U.S. negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the U.S., Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table for talks with Russia.

Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, all but cut Europeans out of any Ukraine-Russia talks, despite Zelenskyy’s request.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 61st Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, 2025, in Munich, Germany. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

“You can have the Ukrainians, the Russians, and clearly the Americans at the table talking,” Kellogg said at an event hosted by a Ukrainian tycoon at the Munich conference. Pressed on whether that meant Europeans won’t be included, he said: “I’m a school of realism. I think that’s not going to happen.”

Ukraine is now preparing a “counterproposal” which will be delivered to the U.S. in “the near future,” the official said.

“I think it’s important that the vice president understood me that if we want to sign something, we have to understand that it will work,” Zelenskyy told the AP.

That means, he said, “it will bring money and security.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 17, 2025
US Iron Dome needs ‘something completely different’ to deal with distant threats, expert suggests

Rocket scientist Ari Sacher explains the capabilities of the Iron Dome missile defense system, why the U.S. needs something more complex and comments on the arms sale to Israel.

President Donald Trump is seeking to bolster the defense of the American homeland with a U.S.-style Iron Dome missile system. However, one expert believes that a system similar to Israel’s is “not needed.”

“So let me tell you at the outset, the president is using the term ‘Iron Dome’ as a metaphor,” rocket scientist Ari Sacher said during an interview on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” Monday. “It’s perfect for defending Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, it is not something that the United States needs very much.”

In President Trump’s first few weeks in office, he signed a slew of executive orders, with one focused on the construction of an American Iron Dome. The order addressed the need for the implementation of a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the homeland “against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks,” as well as to “further the goals of peace through strength.”

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S ‘IRON DOME’ PLAN FOR AMERICA

Sacher explained that when it comes to missile defense, the U.S. needs a more extensive system than Israel’s to grapple with distant adversaries.

Rocket scientist Ari Sacher says an American Iron Dome should be different from Israel’s system. (Getty Images)

“To defend the U.S. homeland, as the president wants to do, you need something completely different,” he said. “You’re defending against rockets not launched from Canada or Mexico… you’re defending against rockets that are launched from North Korea, from China, from Russia, potentially, and you need something far more complex than [an] Iron Dome to shoot it down.”

The rocket scientist, who has expertise in missile defense, further detailed how the system could look under President Trump.

“What the president is looking at is something that probably would be called space-based intercept. You bring up a whole bunch of interceptors into outer space, and the whole intercept will take place in outer space. So if you want to call it ‘Iron Dome’ or you want to call it ‘Fred,’ doesn’t make a difference, it’s not [an] Iron Dome.”

‘Varney & Co.’ host Stuart Varney discusses President Donald Trump’s plan for an American ‘Iron Dome.’

However achieved, Sacher believes that the American Iron Dome’s chances of success are “excellent,” and that “the U.S. has a tremendous amount of engineers and gumption.” The expert also pointed out the threats that U.S. missile defense could address with the more complex shield compared to that of the Israeli system.

“We’re talking about Korea and points west, China’s even farther. That’s the threats America has to look at, our near-peer threats.”

He continued, comparing those threats to those of the Middle East.

“Things like Gaza and Hezbollah, that’s just too small,” he said. “That’s a minor league United States of America.”

Sacher also revealed the key challenge when it comes to missile defense systems.

8VC managing partner Joe Lonsdale joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to provide analysis of President Donald Trump’s eye-opening plan to build an American ‘Iron Dome.’

“There’s a whole new slew of technologies that are needed to do this sort of thing. [The] most difficult one is, believe it or not, not the interceptor, it’s not the launcher. The most difficult thing is [not even] getting it into outer space. The most difficult thing is controlling everything,” he stressed.

He broke down the different elements one needs to be aware of while operating the Iron Dome.

“It’s understanding what we call sky picture,” Sacher stressed. “You got to know when you’re shooting an Iron Dome. You got to know who’s firing on you, how many, which is a good guy, which is a bad guy. ‘What’s that 777 landing at the airport? Can’t shoot that down.’ Imagine doing all of that in outer space. And there’s so much more to take care of and there’s so much more that could go wrong, and you have to take account of all these things.”

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Former Israel finance minister Yuval Steinitz discusses the technology behind the Iron Dome system as Hamas missile attacks continue on ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast.’

Emphasizing the importance of control, Sacher said that once the situation is resolved in space, the system can be applied for use on Earth.

“If you can solve that problem in outer space, then you can use it on the ground for a whole bunch of other control problems; controlling fires, controlling electric grids, controlling everything… That’s the secret: control.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

February 16, 2025
Hamas frees 3 more hostages in exchange for more than 300 prisoners as part of ceasefire deal with Israel

Hamas released three more hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 300 Palestinian prisoners as part of the delicate ceasefire agreement reached with Israel.

The hostages released were Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Yair Horn, 46. Troufanov has Israeli and Russian citizenship, Dekel-Chen is an American-Israeli and Horn is a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina.

The three were abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel that sparked the war in Gaza now under ceasefire.

HAMAS TO FREE ANOTHER AMERICAN IN SATURDAY HOSTAGE RELEASE

Hamas has released Alexander (Sasha) Troponov, 29; Sagi Dekel-Chen, 36, and Yair Horn, 46. (Photos provided by The Hostages Family Forum)

The Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails as part of the sensitive ceasefire agreement, which has continued to hold even after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages this week. Trump has also said he is committed to the U.S. purchasing and taking over Gaza and resettling Palestinians elsewhere.

About 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody. Nearly all the remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, are men and about half are believed to be dead.

EGYPT REPORTEDLY RELEASES DETAILS ON PLAN TO REBUILD GAZA; THERE’S NO MENTION OF ‘COOPERATION’ WITH THE US

Graffiti on Israel’s separation barrier depicts the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP)

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In the first phase of the ceasefire, 24 hostages and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released so far. The first phase includes Hamas’ release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The war could resume if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase, which calls for Hamas to release all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the ceasefire.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 15, 2025
Vance warns US will use sanctions, military action if Putin doesn’t agree to Ukraine peace deal

Former Marine talks ending the war in Ukraine

U.S. Marine veteran Chad Robichaux joins ‘Fox News @ Night’ to discuss efforts to restore peace in Ukraine and Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as director of national intelligence.

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday reportedly warned that the U.S. wouldn’t rule out tough sanctions or even potential military action against Russia if President Vladimir Putin didn’t come to the negotiating table on a deal that would guarantee peace for Ukraine.

In speaking with The Wall Street Journal, which was the first to report on Vance’s comments, the vice president said sending U.S. troops to Ukraine was “on the table” if Russia failed to negotiate in good faith.

Vance said there are “economic tools of leverage [and] there are, of course, military tools of leverage” that the U.S. could use against Putin.

“I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people,” Vance told The Journal.

‘NO REASON’ FOR NEW NUKES: TRUMP FLOATS DISARMAMENT TALKS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA

U.S. Vice President JD Vance visits Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Dachau, Germany February 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Vance’s comments came a day before the vice president is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich. The discussions will be closely watched by European leaders to gauge where President Trump stands on negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, which is nearing three years.

President Trump had what he described as a “lengthy” phone call with Putin on Wednesday, which included the Russian leader agreeing to “immediately” begin negotiations over the war in Ukraine.

RUSSIA CLAIMS TRUMP, PUTIN TALK BROUGHT WORLD FROM ‘BRINK OF APOCALYPSE,’ EU WARNS OF ‘DIRTY TRICKS’

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the two leaders “agreed to work together, very closely.”

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.”

President Donald Trump (center), Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). (Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images | Contributor/Getty Images | Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to lead the U.S. delegation to the Munich Security Conference where the future of Ukraine will be the top item on the agenda.

Trump has been vague about his specific intentions — other than suggesting that a deal will likely result in Ukraine being forced to cede territory that Russia has seized since it annexed Crimea in 2014.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES FRESH DRONE ATTACK AGAINST UKRAINE SHORTLY AFTER TRUMP-PUTIN PHONE CALL

“The Ukraine war has to end,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “Young people are being killed at levels that nobody’s seen since World War II. And it’s a ridiculous war.”

Both Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dashed Ukraine’s hopes this week of becoming part of NATO, which the alliance said less than a year ago was “irreversible,” or getting back its territory captured by Russia, which currently occupies close to 20%, including Crimea.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, walks with Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Wednesday, Feb. 12. (Johanna Geron/Pool Photo via AP)

“I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position could allow … them to join NATO,” Trump said Thursday. “I don’t see that happening.”

When asked what he thought Russia should give up to reach a deal, he noted that talks have not yet begun and that “maybe Russia will give up a lot, maybe they won’t.”

At NATO headquarters, Hegseth reiterated Thursday that “simply pointing out realism like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014 is not a concession to Vladimir Putin.” He said it’s a recognition of realities on the ground.

He added, though, that neither Russia nor Ukraine will “get everything that they want” and stressed that “any negotiation that’s had will be had with both.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for a response to Vance’s comments.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

February 14, 2025
Treasury Secretary Bessent discusses economic deal offered to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence breaks down the U.S. treasury secretary’s proposal for a joint economic venture with Ukraine on ‘The Big Money Show.’

EXCLUSIVE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that funding for Ukraine will come with a new level of “transparency” under the Trump administration.

Dispatched by President Donald Trump as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia, Bessent spoke with FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence in Ukraine after offering an economic investment deal related to rare earth materials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I think by going into partnership with the U.S., it gives a new level of transparency to Ukrainian business,” Bessent said. “And the way we are going to structure the U.S. interest in the fund is very high corporate hygiene standards, best practices. And one assumes that will then be transmitted to the larger Ukraine as a whole.”

TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT OFFERS ZELENSKYY AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEAL

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was dispatched to Ukraine as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bessent added that the deals the U.S. is involved in will have very high standards and full accountability for any money that the nation is owed.

Zelenskyy said he would review the U.S. proposal and respond by Friday when he meets with Vice President JD Vance in Munich. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also lead the U.S. delegation at the meeting.

JD VANCE, TREASURY’S BESSENT TO MEET WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT

While details of the deal have not been disclosed, Bessent said that it anticipates that the U.S. is entitled to revenues that Ukraine is already receiving from some resources. He added that the timing of how quickly the deal will be implemented depends on “the appetite for risk-taking” from the parties that want to commit.

“The real payoff will be when the conflict ends and there is the rush to rebuild Ukraine,” the treasury secretary said. Wall Street firms including JPMorgan and BlackRock have reportedly discussed investing in the war-torn region, as reported by FOX Business in 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. (Timothy A. Clara/AFP via Getty Images)

As of mid-2024, Congress has approved $175 billion in aid and military assistance to the Ukrainian government since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

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The economic deal tied to rare earth materials is the first step in Trump’s deal to restore peace between Ukraine and Russia, Bessent said.

When asked how it fits into a greater peace deal, he said, “It will be showing the Russians that we have an enduring alliance with Ukraine, and then more assets that the U.S. government, U.S. entities have on the ground in Ukraine – that should act as a deterrent over the long run to any more incursions by the Russians.”

February 13, 2025
Treasury Secretary Bessent offers Zelenskyy an economic investment deal

FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence breaks down the U.S. Treasury secretary’s proposal for a joint economic venture with Ukraine on ‘The Big Money Show.’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussed an economic investment deal related to rare earth materials.

FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence reported Zelenskyy would review the proposal and respond on Friday when he meets with Vice President JD Vance.

President Donald Trump dispatched Vance and Bessent to the war-torn region in an effort to end the conflict with Russia.

JD VANCE, TREASURY’S BESSENT TO MEET WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT

Hours after Bessent’s meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said he spoke to the Ukrainian president about peacemaking efforts in the region. He said that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation at Friday’s meeting in Munich.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. (Timothy A. Clara/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the war has raged since. Trump has said that the war would not have happened if he had been in the White House and not former President Joe Biden.

TRUMP NAMES TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

In the past few years, Zelenskyy has also visited the U.S., meeting with top Wall Street executives to discuss rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure. FOX Business was first to report that firms including JPMorgan and BlackRock had participated in some of the meetings in 2023.

UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY MEETS WITH JPMORGAN CEO JAMIE DIMON

Zelenskyy also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2024, where he was photographed greeting JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, meets with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2024. (JPMorgan Chase & Co. / Fox News)

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February 13, 2025
US releasing Russian prisoner as part of Marc Fogel deal, Kremlin says

The United States is releasing Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik as part of the deal to secure Marc Fogel’s freedom, a Trump administration official told Fox News on Wednesday.

Fogel, an American teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2021, was freed on Tuesday. A plane carrying him landed in the U.S. late last night.

Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges. He was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said the Russian prisoner’s name would be revealed when he returns home.

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

Alexander Vinnik, left, and Marc Fogel following his release Tuesday. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Recently, work has been intensified through the relevant agencies, there have been contacts,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, according to the Associated Press. “And these contacts have led to the release of Fogel, as well as one of the citizens of the Russian Federation, who is currently being held in custody in the United States. This citizen of the Russian Federation will also be returned to Russia in the coming days.”

The State Department did not immediately respond Wednesday morning to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.

Anne Fogel, his sister, told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that she is “so happy to have this massive boulder” lifted off her shoulders with her brother’s release.

“I am so incredibly grateful to the president,” she added. “Just amazing.”

Fogel said her brother’s situation has “taken a toll” on her family but they “can’t even believe that he is safe and at home and can get medical attention.”

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY

Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to U.S. soil on Tuesday night. (The White House via X)

After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel met with President Donald Trump at the White House and called him a hero for securing his release.

“I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all. And President Trump is a hero,” Fogel said after meeting Trump.

“These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes,” Fogel continued. “The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor – they got me home – they are heroes.”

Fogel reacts during an event held by President Donald Trump to welcome him back. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

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When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. had given up anything in return for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details.

Fox News’ Pat Ward, Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
LARRY KUDLOW: Elon Musk is here to stay — Democrats just have to deal with it

Donald Trump likes Elon Musk, and trusts Elon Musk.

President Trump totally supports the Elon Musk efficiency audit that has already uncovered fraud in numerous areas inside agencies where there’s been spending on items that Congress never mandated.

In fact, Mr. Trump is going to expand Musk’s remit to include auditing the Education Department and the Pentagon. And there may well be more.

Here’s how I put it this morning on Fox News Channel’s Outnumbered.

“The Elon Musk exercise is about systems, and efficiency, and delivery. It is not changing policies on the fly. Hence, there is nothing wrong with an audit… They’re finding judges, okay, who are all slightly to the left of Whoopi Goldberg… There’s nothing constitutional, there’s nothing policy about this.”

– Larry Kudlow, “Outnumbered” on Fox News Channel, February 10

Attorney General Pam Bondi will be moving rapidly to vacate various restraining orders put on many Trump actions, including the Elon Musk payments systems reviews.

Interestingly, none of the left-wing judges opposing Trump have used any case law so far. Department of Justice appeals may have to go all the way up to the Supreme Court. If they do, hopefully the Supremes will act expeditiously.

But the whole point of the Musk operation is transparency and efficiency in spending taxpayer dollars.

Additionally, Elon Musk and DOGE staff are federal government employees. They have been on-boarded, received ethics training and records training, have gotten interim clearances, and, according to Fox News Legal Editor Kerri Urbahn, the idea that career employees can have access to sensitive information — but political appointees should not — is preposterous on its face.

There is nothing unconstitutional about any of this.

Then comes a bunch of former Democratic Treasury Secretaries writing in the New York Times that efficiency audits in the Treasury Department might somehow impede U.S. financial commitments, even reaching into the credit worthiness of Treasury bonds. This is absolute Democratic hogwash.

As current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has found, “controls for spending of the previous [Biden] administration were unacceptable. They were sending money out without knowing where the money was going.”

Last week, Scott Bessent told me on this show in Washington, D.C., “they are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the Capitol and, when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

February 10, 2025
Applebee’s offers boneless wing deal after Super Bowl LIX

FOX Business correspondent Jeff Flock goes through Super Bowl stats ahead of the big game in New Orleans on ‘The Bottom Line.’

Applebee’s is offering a one-day boneless wing deal to customers after the Philadelphia Eagles notched a pick-six during Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Under its “Pick 6 Monday” deal, the restaurant chain will throw in six free boneless wings with orders of at least $10 that customers place on Monday. It is available for both dine-in and online orders at participating restaurants, according to the company’s website.

A view of an Applebee’s restaurant sign and logo. (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The deal for six free boneless wings was contingent on an interception during the Super Bowl being returned for a touchdown – and Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean delivered during the second quarter.

EAGLES ROOKIE, CELEBRATING HIS 22ND BIRTHDAY, RECORDS PICK-6 IN SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FIRST NFL INTERCEPTION

“We can’t call into work for you tomorrow but we can offer you 6 free boneless wings because of that Pick 6,” Applebee’s tweeted Sunday night during the Super Bowl.

Customers looking to cash-in on the Eagles pick-six at Applebee’s on Monday can “mention ‘Applebee’s Pick 6 Monday’ to your server in the restaurant” or plug in the promo code “PICK6” online to nab the free boneless wings, the company said.

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The deal stems from the Pick 6 promotion that the chain, which had over 1,500 locations across the U.S. as of the end of September, offered throughout the NFL season.

The 2024 NFL season officially ended Sunday night with the Eagles winning Super Bowl LIX. Philadelphia defeated the Chiefs 40-22, earning the Eagles their second-ever championship title.

Terry Bradshaw (L) speaks with Philadelphia Eagles owner, chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie as Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni watch. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Kansas City had been looking to win its third straight Lombardi Trophy but came up short.

STARBUCKS OFFERING FREE POST-SUPER BOWL COFFEE

February 10, 2025