Trump Announces Potential White House Visit by Zelenskyy for Rare Earth Minerals Deal
Donald Trump has announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to visit the White House this Friday to sign a significant agreement pertaining to rare earth minerals that would serve as a means for US military aid to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's ongoing invasion. The announcement comes after intense negotiations between the US and Ukraine, where Zelenskyy claimed that Washington was pressuring him to endorse a deal exceeding $500 billion, which he argued would impose a financial burden on future generations of Ukrainians.
Media reports indicated that a consensus had been reached as of Tuesday regarding the terms of the agreement. "I hear that he’s coming on Friday," Trump stated thoughtfully to reporters in the Oval Office. "Certainly it's OK with me if he’d like to."
According to the Financial Times, which was the first to report on the matter, the revised terms of the agreement are said to be more favorable toward Ukraine than earlier proposals from Washington. The previous demands that sought a right to a share of $500 billion in potential revenues from exploiting Ukrainian resources—including rare earth minerals, oil, and gas—have reportedly been excluded.
The framework for the forthcoming deal would involve joint ownership of a fund aimed at developing Ukraine's mineral resources, with specific stipulations for those resources that are already contributing to the state budget. Notably, the new terms do not incorporate long-term security guarantees, a critical aspect that Kyiv was seeking to include in the agreement.
Some details of the deal remain ambiguous, including the extent of the US's ownership stake in this new developmental fund. When asked about the nature of military support that Ukraine would receive as part of this agreement, Trump responded that the deal would encompass around $350 billion worth of military equipment and the continued right for Ukraine to defend itself.
"We’ve pretty much negotiated our deal on earth and various other things," Trump added, indicating that further discussions regarding general security guarantees for Ukraine would occur later. He expressed confidence in the process, mentioning prior conversations with Russian officials, stating that they seemed to understand that a return to previous circumstances wasn't anticipated.
As of now, both the US and Ukrainian governments have not provided any immediate comments regarding the status of the agreement. The forthcoming visit by President Zelenskyy and the pivotal deal could indeed redefine the dynamics of military and economic support between the two nations as they navigate the challenges posed by Russia's aggression.
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