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| A uranium mine in Neopalymivka, Ukraine. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times |
Ukraine signed a minerals sharing deal with the U.S.
The U.S. will share future revenues from Ukraine’s mineral reserves under an agreement announced by the Trump administration that creates a joint investment fund between the countries. But it is not clear that the deal includes any guarantee of future U.S. security assistance, and it will have little significance if fighting between Ukraine and Russia persists.
The agreement, which comes after months of fraught negotiations, is intended to give President Trump a personal stake in Ukraine’s fate while addressing his concerns that the U.S. has provided Kyiv with a blank check to try to withstand Russia’s invasion. The Trump administration did not immediately provide details about the agreement.
Ukraine allies in Washington expressed some relief, calling the deal a notable improvement over earlier versions — and a sign that Kyiv can work constructively with Trump. But others have seen the deal as the U.S. taking advantage of Ukraine’s reliance on American aid to win control of valuable natural resources, without offering strong guarantees in return.
Background: The deal was delayed after an explosive meeting in the Oval Office in late February between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader. Negotiations since then have centered on whether U.S. military aid would be treated as debt that Ukraine needed to repay.
| More on TrumpThese eight charts sum up Trump’s first 100 days in office. We spoke to seven Americans who shared their views.The Times pieced together the most complete account yet of the U.S. arrangement to deport migrants to El Salvador. Here are five takeaways.A Columbia University student who was arrested during a citizenship interview has been freed from custody as immigration officials seek to rescind his green card |
| A funeral for members of a Druse militia in a suburb of Damascus, yesterday. Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times |
Israel’s military intervened in Syrian sectarian violence
Israel launched airstrikes on Syria yesterday and threatened to strike government forces if clashes persisted between pro-government fighters and militiamen from the Druse minority.
The Israeli military said its aircraft had struck a group of “operatives” accused of having “attacked Druse civilians” south of Damascus. At least 39 people — including 22 yesterday — have been killed in two days of clashes on the outskirts of Damascus, according to a war-monitoring group.
From the region:
| The Trump Organization has agreed to a deal for real estate developments in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates ahead of President Trump’s visit to the Gulf region this month.Major wildfires forced the government in Israel to close roads, evacuate several towns near Jerusalem and call for international assistance.Britain’s military carried out a joint operation with U.S. forces against the Houthi militia in Yemen, targeting buildings used to manufacture drones. |
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| Britain’s highest temperature of the year was recorded in London on Monday, only for that to be beaten on Tuesday. Kin Cheung/Associated Press |
Britain’s hottest May Day ever?
Temperatures in Britain may break records today, with highs of 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit (29 Celsius) forecast in southern England. Heat this week has been driven by a large area of high pressure, which has caused descending air that warms as it sinks, and continuous sunshine fueling daytime heating.
If temperatures soar even higher, today could become the earliest date in the year that Britain has hit 86 Fahrenheit (30 Celsius), based on Met Office data going back to 1860. Temperatures are expected to ease over the weekend.
The latest: London recorded Britain’s highest temperature of the year on Monday, only for that to be beaten on Tuesday. Overnight temperatures have been above average, too, with parts of Scotland experiencing their warmest April night on record.
More U.K. news:
| Nigel Farage, a right-wing Trump ally in Britain, hopes that MAGA-style rallies can help him convert polling into power.A man has been charged with a terrorism offense in London after he tried to enter the Israeli Embassy armed with a knife, the police said. |
| MORE TOP NEWS |
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| Linh Pham for The New York Times |
| Vietnam: A boisterous parade was held in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 50th anniversary of the war. Watch footage of the events here. South Korea: The transport ministry will begin deploying drones at airports to help prevent bird strikes as part of an overhaul of aviation safety after the Jeju Air crash last year. India: After last week’s terrorist attack in Kashmir, officials and right-wing Hindu groups have intensified harassment of Muslims. El Salvador: Officials in El Salvador are said to have refused a request from the Trump administration to release Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who was deported there. Trump said he had the ability to release him but was not willing to do so. Europe: Two days after one of Europe’s worst blackouts in decades, officials from Spain and Portugal appear no closer to determining the cause. |
| Vatican: Could the next pope be from Africa? The question of how the continent’s rising Catholic population could shape the next papacy has become timely. U.S.: A powerful storm plowed through Pennsylvania, killing at least four people. U.N.: A memo called for drastic budget cuts amid expectations that Trump will slash U.S. contributions to the global body. Somalia: Taiwanese passport holders were barred from entering the country, a move that Taiwan blamed on Chinese pressure on the African nation. Health: A global study found that young people are not as happy as they used to be. |
Business News
| U.S.: Data released on U.S. gross domestic product suggested that the economy shrank in the first quarter by a 0.3 percent annual rate. China: In April, Chinese factories experienced the sharpest monthly slowdown in more than a year, the first indication of how the U.S. tariffs are affecting the economy. Japan: Responding to Trump’s tariffs, the Bank of Japan lowered its growth forecast by more than half. Cars: Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Volkswagen and other European carmakers sounded pessimistic about the future. Markets: Stocks have had the worst start to a presidential term since 1974, hit by shock waves from the chaotic tariff rollout. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
| Soccer: Arsenal’s loss to PSG in the first leg of the semifinal was a major blow, but the tie is far from over. Tennis: Electronic line calling adopted on clay has created a ball-mark monster. F1: Lewis Hamilton has underperformed so far in his first season at Ferrari, but how bad is it? |
| MORNING READ |
A small cafe-bar in western France recently had a surprising visitor: the president of the Republic. Emmanuel Macron has taken to dropping in on random bars, without press or an entourage, to schmooze with patrons and hear their day-to-day concerns.
“He did not come to scratch!” a bar owner said, alluding to betting games he offers on scratch cards. “He came to chat.”
| CONVERSATION STARTERS |
| Flair and function: A new exhibition explores how dandyism was remade by Black aesthetes into a tool of social mobility and self-definition. May-September romance: Last year, it felt as if movies about sparks between older women and younger men were everywhere. Now, reality television is catching up. Body positivity? The cultural ideal for women is again ultrathin — but under a new banner of self-love. Letter of recommendation: A writer found that interviewing your own family can sometimes change your life. |
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
Read your way back in time
The beauty of books can be their ability to transport readers to faraway places and cultures. Our critic picked four new works of historical fiction that whisk readers to Europe, Gilded Age New York and elsewhere.
An intimate train car speeding through France is filled with tension in “The Paris Express.” Working-class residents of Vienna are stuck in the shadow of war in “The Café With No Name.” See what else got our critic’s attention.
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
Cook: Made with French lentils, this is a hearty anytime salad.
