During a press conference, US President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to withdraw from the agreement concerning rare earth mineral extraction and warned him of potential severe repercussions.
Source: Reuters
Quote: "He is trying to exit the rare earth minerals agreement, and if he does, he will face big, serious problems".
Details: Trump also emphasized that Ukraine will never become a NATO member, despite Zelensky's ambitions to join the Alliance.
"He wants to be a NATO member, but that will never happen. He understands that," said Donald Trump.
Background:
- According to Bloomberg, during a video call on March 28 between Ukrainian officials and US representatives, the latter did not express objections to Kyiv's concerns regarding the minerals agreement, indicating Washington's openness to discuss amendments.
- Previously, it was reported that the Trump administration reinstated a requirement for Ukraine to reimburse all aid provided by the US following the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
- The draft of the major agreement states that Ukraine commits to compensating the US for the total cost of all aid—budgetary, military, and humanitarian—given since the start of the full-scale invasion.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on March 28 that Ukraine is not ready to acknowledge the American aid provided in recent years as a debt in the context of the agreement.