NewsTracker Answers for week of Feb. 17, 2025

Q: President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking talks to end the war in Ukraine. A flurry of sometimes confusing statements by Trump and his administration officials over peace terms, negotiations and Ukraine’s natural resources have roiled Europe. Where is Ukraine?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Before any negotiations were scheduled, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week said Ukraine would probably have to give up the land seized by Russians and could not join the NATO military alliance, How much of Ukraine has Russia taken?

A. 40%

B. 30%

C. 20%

D. 10%


C. Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory in the south and east. Russian forces and Russian-backed militias seized some of the territory in 2014 and the rest was taken since a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.


Q: Trump said European troops should police a Ukraine peace deal, but Hegseth said NATO would not rescue peace-keepeers if they were attacked by Russia. Europeans also were told they would not participate in peace negotiations. Where were European leaders gathering this week for an emergency meeting on the situation?

A. London

B. Paris

C. Rome

D. Warsaw


B. French President Emmanuel Macron was to host leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark for Monday’s “informal” Paris meeting. Many NATO allies said last week that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of peace talks.


Q: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week rejected a Trump administration proposal to take ownership of 50 percent of his country’s rare earth minerals as a way to repay the United States for billions in aid. Which country has the most of the rare earth minerals which are essential for modern technology?

A. China

B. India

C. Russia

D. United States


A. China has the most rare earth reserves by far, and it produces five-and-half times more rare earth metals than the United States. China’s reserves are 44 million metric ton compared to 1.9 million metric tons in the U.S. Zelenskyy said he wants solid U,S. security guarantees before sharing any resources.


Q: Where are Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Trump administration officials planning to soon meet with a Russian delegation to start discussions about ending the war?

A. Austria

B. India

C. Ireland

D. Saudi Arabia


D. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not been invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia, At a security conference last week, Zelenskyy urged the creation of an "army of Europe" amid rising concern that Washington may no longer come to the continent's aid. At the same conference, Hegseth said the U.S. was no longer “focused on the security of Europe.”