The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Monday that he will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the coming days to sign an agreement related to "rare earths." According to Trump, this pact will allow the U.S. to recover some of the money invested in Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia.
"I will meet with President Zelensky. In fact, he may come this week or next to sign the agreement... The agreement is currently being negotiated, and they are very close to a final deal," Trump stated during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House.
"It will be an agreement on rare earths and other matters. I understand that Zelensky wants to come here to sign it, which I think would be great."
The president assured that the U.S. administration is finalizing the details of the operation and that, after the signing, the agreement will need to be approved by Ukraine's legislative council. "I am sure that will happen," he added.
Trump explained that his administration aims to recover the funds allocated for Ukraine through this agreement. "It seems that we are very close to reaching an agreement where we will get our money back over time," he said. "We have put in 350 billion dollars... and we have nothing in return. That was the fault of the Biden administration."
He also added that Europe has invested nearly 100 billion dollars in Ukraine, mainly through loans, and has taken a more equitable approach. "The Europeans have been great on this matter. They understood that it wasn't fair, and we managed to negotiate something. But with the Ukrainians, I believe I can say that we are very close to a deal," he stated.
Furthermore, Trump insisted that the United States has helped Ukraine "like no one before" and that his priority is to end the conflict. "We are helping Ukraine like nobody has done before. And I can say this: if I had not been president, Ukraine would still be at a point where they wouldn't even consider peace."
The president also warned about the risk of a greater escalation if the conflict is not resolved soon. "Thousands of people are dying every week. I would say that Russia has lost around 700,000 people, probably a similar number in Ukraine. If this is not resolved, it could lead to World War III."
Trump's announcement comes against a backdrop of tensions and negotiations surrounding the war in Ukraine. In recent weeks, the U.S. leader has made various statements regarding his perspective on the conflict and his stance towards Zelensky.
Recently, Trump blamed Ukraine for the war with Russia and claimed that the conflict could have been avoided with an earlier agreement. "This war should never have started," he said. Additionally, he criticized Ukraine's exclusion from the peace negotiations in Riyadh, which created tensions with Europe.
Also, he labeled Zelenski a "dictator without elections" and accused him of spending U.S. resources on a war that "he will never win without Trump." He also stated that Washington has invested $200 billion more than Europe without receiving any compensation.
Zelenski, for his part, also denounced that the United States had requested that Ukraine hand over 50% of its natural resources without receiving security guarantees. According to the president, the proposal was presented by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and he refused to accept it. Earlier, he had warned that he would not accept any agreement that excluded Ukraine from the negotiations, a stance he reiterated following the conversation between Trump and Putin about the possibility of a peace treaty.
Shortly after this exchange of statements, the Ukrainian president expressed his willingness to resign if it ensured peace or his country's accession to NATO. In a press conference, he stated: "If that guarantees peace for Ukraine, if they really need me to resign, I am willing. I can trade it for NATO."
This Monday, February 24, the U.S. voted against a resolution in the UN General Assembly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The resolution was passed with 93 votes in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstentions, including Cuba.
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