President Donald Trump has hinted that if Ukraine wants continued support from the U.S. in its war against Russia, it must give up its rare Earth elements in return.
According to the Associated Press, Trump told a reporter at the Oval Office that the U.S. had sent more aid to Ukraine than its European neighbors.
“We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” Trump said, also suggesting that Ukraine has said they would be willing to make a deal in exchange for the minerals, which is often used in devices such as cellphones.
“I want to have security of rare earth,” Trump said. “We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it. We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine. We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war.”
The AP further reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had told the AP on Saturday that any negotiations between the U.S. and Russia, without the participation of Ukraine, was “dangerous for everyone.”
“They may have their own relations but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelensky added that he and his team had been in talks with Trump and his administration but that they were not formal meetings that should be taking place in person.
“We need to work more on this,” Zelenskyy said.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this month, Zelensky said Europe must find a way to take care of itself so it can no longer be ignored.
“Will President Trump listen to Europe? Or will he negotiate with Russia and China without Europe?” Zelensky asked. “Europe needs to learn how to full take care of itself, so the world can’t afford to ignore it. It’s vital to maintain unity in Europe, because the world doesn’t just care about Budapest or Brussels, it cares about Europe as a whole.”
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