Trump expects Zelenskyy to come back and sign minerals deal
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump commented on the US-Ukraine agreement regarding mineral resources. He is confident that the document will ultimately be signed.
"I think it'll happen," Trump responded when asked about the signing of the mineral resources agreement.
When asked whether he expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "come back" and finalize the agreement on minerals, the US president replied, "Yeah, I think so. I think it'll happen."
Later in the interview, Trump also accused Europe of allegedly giving "Russia more money by far for buying their oil than they put into Ukraine."
"They're paying all this money to Russia. And we're in there for 350 billion dollars. Biden should have never done that," the American president emphasized.
It is worth noting that Trump's figure significantly exceeds the actual amount the US has officially spent. According to official data from the Pentagon and Congress, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US has allocated around $183 billion in support for Ukraine.
Minerals deal
As a reminder, the US government proposed Ukraine sign an agreement that would involve transferring part of Ukraine’s rare earth metals to the US. At that time, Washington suggested Kyiv create a fund of $500 billion, where proceeds from the sale of rare earth resources would be directed.
However, Zelenskyy stressed that the level of support amounted to $100 billion, and it could not be considered a debt.
Later, Financial Times, citing sources, reported that Ukraine and the US had agreed on the details of the rare earth metal deal. The text mentioned that Ukraine was ready to sign an agreement involving the joint development of its mineral resources with the US, including oil and gas.
Ukraine and the US were supposed to sign the minerals deal on Friday, February 28. On that day, President Zelenskyy was visiting Washington. However, due to the clash between Trump and Zelenskyy, this did not happen.
Later, US media reported that Trump wants the agreement, which would grant the US a share in Ukrainian mineral resources, to be signed. However, he also wants to see changes in Zelenskyy's approach to peace talks, specifically, a willingness to make concessions, such as giving territory to Russia.
Furthermore, Trump has privately indicated to his aides that the signed agreement would not be enough to restore assistance and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, according to NBC News.
