by Abbey FenbertMarch 31, 2025 4:46 AM
U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Feb. 28, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking to back out of a critical minerals agreement with the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on March 30.
Ukrainian officials are currently reviewing the latest version of a minerals deal, which reportedly grants the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine’s natural resources through a joint investment fund.
Trump told reporters he believes Zelensky no longer wants to sign the agreement and warned that his refusal would carry consequences.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that, he’s got some problems, big, big problems,” Trump said, according to Reuters.
“He wants to be a member of NATO, but he’s never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that.”
Zelensky said on March 28 that he would not sign a minerals deal that interferes with Ukraine’s plans to join the European Union.
“Nothing that could threaten Ukraine’s accession to the EU can be accepted,” he said.
Bloomberg reported on March 29 that Kyiv was requesting changes to the current proposal, including greater investment from the U.S. and more clarity on how the joint fund would operate.
The Trump administration has touted the minerals deal as an essential part of Ukraine’s path to peace, but has failed to offer concrete security guarantees in exchange for broad access to resources. Kyiv and Washington were set to sign an earlier version of the agreement on Feb. 28, but the plan fell apart after a heated Oval Office dispute between Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
The White House has described the minerals deal as a mechanism for the U.S. to “recoup” some of the financial aid it has provided to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Trump has also said he wants to explore a natural resources deal with Russia. Following a March 18 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said the U.S. hoped to expand trade with Moscow and gain access to “very big forms of rare earth.”
Putin previously said on Feb. 24 that Russia is open to working with foreign partners on developing rare earth metals, including in occupied regions of Ukraine.
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US, Russia begin talks on rare earth minerals projects, Moscow claims
by Martin FornusekMarch 31, 2025
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, speaks to a media member on the sidelines of the U.S.-Russia meeting at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)
Washington and Moscow have begun discussions on projects related to Russian rare earth minerals, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on March 31.
The news comes as the Trump administration pushes for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine and explores venues for economic cooperation with Russia.
“Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions about various rare earth metals and projects in Russia,” said Dmitriev, who also serves as presidential representative for economic cooperation with foreign countries.
Some companies have already demonstrated interest in the projects, the official claimed.
Dmitriev was one of Russia’s negotiators during the Trump administration’s first direct talks in Saudi Arabia in February.
The Feb. 18 talks were followed by two more rounds of discussions, with a meeting on March 24 focusing on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine. Dmitriev said that the next round would take place in mid-April and concern both political issues and economic cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February that Russia is open to working with the U.S. in developing rare earth deposits, including in the occupied parts of Ukraine, which Putin called “newly controlled regions.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has also pushed for a deal on natural resources with Ukraine, though multiple sources indicated that its latest iteration imposes harsh conditions on Kyiv and would potentially endanger its EU accession efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 30 that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking to back out of a critical minerals agreement, warning him of “big, big problems” if he does so.
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A reminder : this is the type of people that trump is getting into bed with :
These three related articles demonstrate that the trumpkov regime is the most criminal, morally bankrupt in U.S. history.
trumpkov actually intends to purchase thieved Ukrainian rare earths from putler.
Trump sucks!