President Donald Trump proposed on Thursday that Ukrainian Voldymi Zelenkie school would agree to the rare earth mineral trade before Ukrainian leaders visited the White House on Friday.
As part of negotiations to end the Russian-Ukraine war, the Trump administration is fishing to sign an agreement that allows Zelensky to access Ukrainian minerals in exchange for US support.
Trump said Thursday that the mineral agreement would benefit both the US and Ukraine, allowing the US access to resources such as oil and gas “that our country needs.”
“We’re going to sign a very important contract for both sides, because it really brings us into that country,” Trump told reporters when he met with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer on Thursday. “There are a lot of people working there, so in that sense, that’s a very good thing.”
Trump also told reporters that peace talks are in the final stages but no deals were secured, and he was hesitant to discuss plans for the region’s peacekeeping forces.
“I think we’re very moving towards dealing,” Trump said. “But we haven’t made a deal yet. So I don’t like talking about peacekeeping until we do business. I want to get things done.”
Furthermore, Trump said he does not expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to violate the agreement to create peace with Ukraine.
“I don’t think he’s violating what he says,” Trump said. “I don’t think he’ll come back when we do a trade. I think the trade will be held now.”
Trump also did not double his previous comments calling Zelenkiy a “dictator” ahead of the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House on Friday.
“Did I say that?” Trump asked. “I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”
The Trump administration is in high-level negotiations for a peace agreement to end the Ukraine conflict, and US authorities met with Saudi Arabia’s Russian counterparts on February 18th. However, his absence from Ukraine’s consultations told Zelensky, “No one will decide anything behind us.”
Trump says the mineral trade will be negotiated with Zelensky and there will be a meet scheduled for Friday
(President Donald Trump and Volodimia Zelenkie exchanged severe insults as peace negotiations progressed to end the war in Ukraine. (Getty Image))
Trump and Zelensky accused Trump of moving forward with “disinformation” in Russia, and advanced that Zelensky orally barked each other for labeling Zelensky as a “dictator” who failed his country.
“The unelected dictator Zelensky will move fast or he will not leave the country,” Trump wrote in a social media post on February 19.
Russia has urged Ukraine to hold elections as part of the peace agreement, almost a year after Zelensky’s five-year term is due to end.
Zelensky remains in his position as head of Kiev, as the Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022.
Even as we try to end the war in Ukraine, the war of Trump and Zelensky’s words gets hot
British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. (Curl coat/pool via AP)
Priorities that announced on February 16 that Britain is ready to send troops to Ukraine to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia told reporters Thursday that Britain would like to coordinate with the US in peace talks.
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When French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House on Monday, he expressed similar sentiment about ensuring lasting peace in order to work with the United States. However, he also advised the United States to be careful when dealing with Russia.
“We want peace,” he told Blair House on Monday in his “Special Report.” “And I think President Trump’s initiative is very positive, but my message was to be careful because it requires something important to Ukraine.”
“I think President Trump’s arrival is a game-changer,” Macron said. “And I think he has the US deterrent ability to re-engage with Russia.”
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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