White House calls Zelenskyy “short-sighted” in rejecting agreement with US
Pravda Ukraine
Brian Hughes, White House National Security Council spokesman, called the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to refuse to sign a proposed agreement granting the US access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine “short-sighted”.
Source: AP, as reported by European Pravda
Quote from Hughes: “President Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine.”
Details: Hughes stated that the deal on minerals would allow American taxpayers to “recoup” money sent to Kyiv while also contributing to the growth of the Ukrainian economy.
He added that the White House believes that “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace”.
Quote: “The US recognises this, the Russians recognise this, and the Ukrainians must recognise this.”
Details: According to one current and one former Ukrainian official, the US proposal did not include any specific security guarantees for Ukraine.
“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy said on Saturday in Munich.
The source of the agency reported that Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance did not discuss the details of the American document during their meeting on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
The official stated that the meeting was “very good” and “substantive”, and Vance clearly conveyed that their primary goal with Trump was to achieve a strong, lasting peace.
Zelenskyy told Vance that true peace requires Ukraine to take a “strong position” at the beginning of negotiations, emphasised that American negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the US, Ukraine, and Europe must be at the negotiating table with Russia.
Background:
- The administration of US President Donald Trump proposed that Ukraine give the United States 50% ownership of the country’s rare earth minerals. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement.
- On 13 February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in Kyiv to discuss economic partnership with Ukraine. Zelenskyy said that the US had presented Kyiv with the first draft of a “partnership agreement” that would provide for investment in Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for further assistance.
- On 14 February, a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance in Munich was postponed to give the US the opportunity to work on the partnership memorandum, which Ukraine had finalised and handed over to the Americans.
Support UP or become our patron!