US close to signing natural resources deal with Ukraine, Trump says
Pravda Ukraine
US President Donald Trump stated on 22 February that the United States was close to signing an agreement with Ukraine on rare earth resources, adding that he wanted to recover billions of dollars in military aid provided to Kyiv.
Source: Trump in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, broadcast on X (Twitter)
Details: During the speech, which brought together politicians, media personalities, conservative activists and Trump’s allies, the US president said that the US was “…pretty close to a deal and we better be close to a deal”.
“We’re asking for rare earths, oil and anything we can get,” the US president stressed.
He also noted that he wants to recover “billions of dollars” in military aid that Washington has provided to Ukraine.
Quote: “The war between Russia and Ukraine [rages on]. People are being killed, mostly young men, mostly Russian and Ukrainian men, at levels you’ve never seen before; thousands of people a week. I’ve spoken to President Putin and I think that thing is going to end, it’s a horrible, horrible thing to watch.” [Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Vladimir Putin as a president – ed.]
Background:
- A draft agreement dated 7 February 2025, obtained by the British newspaper the Telegraph, outlines the Trump administration’s proposed terms for a minerals deal with Ukraine. The terms resemble those typically imposed on defeated aggressor states and reportedly exceed the reparations imposed on Germany and Japan after World War II.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign the document since the agreement did not have clear security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump was upset over Kyiv’s supposed lack of gratitude for US assistance and refusal to sign the agreement on Ukrainian minerals.
- The text of the agreement between the US and Ukraine, updated as of the evening of 21 February and obtained by Ekonomichna Pravda, stipulates the establishment of a commercial fund under complete US control, to which Ukraine will allocate funds.
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