{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreifs3nbkj7tkxutbbaoc2pr64bi2f74erqfz6edh2dwubkgme2rsdi",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:5x2rh5kufnec5fzljivhzoyl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfwih7fxjdv2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreidfwmwjb44piopxwxcf3ytxm5fkgr2ljvb4wimqxzt6dbrkonhtqq"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 183279
  },
  "path": "/news/watching/what-were-watching-shots-fired-between-pakistan-and-afghanistan-trump-pushes-zelensky-for-a-quick-deal-us-trades-humanitarian-aid-for-critical-minerals",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-27T17:07:37.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gzeromedia.com",
  "tags": [
    "Peace deal",
    "Trump",
    "Ukraine",
    "Zelensky",
    "Afghanistan  pakistan war",
    "_Afghan’s Taliban-run forces launched_",
    "_air attacks_",
    "_close to 300 Taliban_",
    "_a cessation of hostilities_",
    "_India_",
    "_condemned_",
    "_ceasefire_",
    "_call_",
    "_partly driven_",
    "_warned_",
    "agreed on Thursday to _provide_",
    "_controversial deal_"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\n### Pakistan and Afghanistan in “open war”\n\nPakistan has declared “open war” against Afghanistan, as the two sides engage in the fiercest clashes in years. On Thursday, _Afghan’s Taliban-run forces launched_ six cross-border attacks on Pakistani military positions. Pakistan retaliated today with _air attacks_ on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, hitting Afghan military targets and claiming it killed _close to 300 Taliban_militants. In response, a number of countries including Russia, China and the UK have called for _a cessation of hostilities_, while _India_ – Islamabad’s archrival — _condemned_ Pakistan’s air raids. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have grown hostile as Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring a Pakistani branch of the Taliban and of inching closer to India. The two sides have exchanged fire over the past year, even after a _ceasefire_ brokered by Qatar last fall, but none this lethal.\n\n### Trump pushes Zelensky for ASAP peace deal\n\nIn a 30-minute _call_ on Thursday, President **Donald Trump** reportedly**** told Ukrainian President **Volodymyr Zelensky** he wants to end the war with Russia as soon as possible — aiming for a deal by summer, but ideally within weeks. Trump reiterated his willingness to provide Ukraine with significant US security guarantees as negotiations continue. But Zelensky faces a delicate challenge of adapting to Trump’s transactional approach to peacemaking. Trump’s urgency is _partly driven_ by a desire to reopen US-Russia commerce, which could help revive Russia’s economy and ultimately weaken the credibility of US security commitments to Ukraine. As former NATO ambassador **Ivo Daalder** _warned_ during a recent __GZERO World__ interview, a ceasefire could become a “trap” if it means the US opens up economic relationships with Russia — like weakened sanctions and pushing Europeans to release $300 billion in Russian frozen assets. As a result, post-war security commitments to Ukraine could lose their credibility.\n\n### US strikes billion dollar health partnership with Congo\n\n\nWashington agreed on Thursday to _provide_ $900 million to help the mineral-rich African nation combat HIV/AIDS, advance maternal and child health, and fight infectious diseases. In return, Congo will put up $300 million of its own money. The pact comes just weeks after the US and Kinshasa inked a _controversial deal_ giving US companies access to Congo’s critical minerals. The Trump administration has struck more than a dozen bilateral health agreements with African nations since eliminating USAID, the US’s main foreign aid agency. Supporters of the “trade-not-aid”-style deals say they reduce recipient countries’ aid dependency and provide more tangible benefits for the US. Critics say they are opaque, and have raised concerns about provisions that may give US companies access to Africans’ personal health data.",
  "title": "What We’re Watching: Shots fired between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Trump pushes Zelensky for a quick deal, US trades humanitarian aid for critical minerals"
}