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Trump claims Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday’ as he eyes Kyiv's rare earth minerals, Kremlin reacts
Donald Trump stated that war-torn Ukraine may or may not forfeit its right to sovereignty to Russia.
US President Donald Trump stated that war-torn Ukraine may or may not forfeit its right to sovereignty to Russia, stressing that he expects payment for the Washington's assistance given to Kyiv, regardless of the outcome of the conflict.
In an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier, Trump said, “They (Ukraine) may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday.”
“But we’re going to have all this money in (Ukraine) and I say, I want it back,” he added prior to a meeting scheduled for this week between his VP JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine approaches its third anniversary, the 47th US President has consistently vowed to mediate an amicable peace agreement, saying that if he had been in power in 2022, the war would never have occurred.
Trump asserted that Ukraine has “essentially agreed” to a $500 billion resource agreement, building on his prior proposal to guarantee US backing for Ukraine in return for rare earth minerals. “I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth (minerals), and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” the POTUS said.
Ukraine has previously indicated that it is amenable to forming a resource extraction partnership with the United States and other allies in return for security assurances, but specifics of the agreement are still unclear.
During the interview, Trump reiterated that the US has given Ukraine greater financial assistance than its European allies, putting Washington's commitment to Ukraine at over $300 billion.
The US Congress has given Ukraine more than $170 billion since the full-blown war commenced in 2022, including more than $60 billion in military aid. According to Zelenskyy's last month statement, less than half of that aid reached Ukraine.
Kremlin reacts to Trump's statement
Following Trump's statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a “significant part” of Ukraine “wants to be Russia,” adding that its present situation “largely corresponds to President Trump's words,” AFP reported.
“The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact,” he stated while speaking to reporters, alluding to Russia's annexation of four districts in Ukraine in 2022.
“Any phenomenon can happen with a 50 percent probability -- either yes or no,” Peskov stated.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he is prepared for direct discussions with Trump over a potential accord. However, Trump told the New York Post that he had previously discussed the matter informally with Putin.
