Wednesday, 30 April 2025

Zelenskyy: Trump has upped the ante on ‘critical minerals’ deal


by WorldTribune Staff, March 26, 2025 Real World News

President Donald Trump has proposed a new “full-scale agreement” on a rare earth and “critical minerals” deal that goes beyond the previous framework, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

President Donald Trump said Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy talked the Biden Administration ‘into spending $350 billion’ on a war ‘that couldn’t be won.’

The United States previously stated that a deal granting access to deposits of rare earths and critical minerals in Ukraine could be worth up to $500 billion, according to Ukraine’s state-owned news agency, Ukrinform.

Zelenskyy on Tuesday said a new deal was proffered.

“Yesterday, my team briefed me on the new agreement. What does it look like now? This is a full-scale agreement as envisioned by the American side. That’s how they see this,” Zelenskyy said. “They have moved past previous steps, such as the framework agreement, which you may recall was supposed to be followed by a more detailed agreement. Now, the U.S. has proposed a major agreement right away.”

Trump said on March 24 that he expects that a revenue-sharing agreement on Ukrainian critical minerals will be signed soon.

He also told reporters he is talking to Ukraine about the possibility of U.S. firms’ owning Ukrainian power plants.

“We’re talking about territory right now. We’re talking about lines of demarcation, Talking about power, power plant ownership,” Trump said. “Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant … because we have the expertise.”

A Treasury spokesperson told The Epoch Times: “The United States remains committed to the quick conclusion of this vital agreement, and to securing a lasting peace for both Ukraine and Russia.”

Negotiators from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have been engaged in talks in Saudi Arabia this week, as Trump’s team seeks to broker a peace deal between the two nations.

Trump said the United States is owed “more than $300 billion, probably $350 [billion]” over its support for Ukraine and that Europe is “in for probably $100 billion.”

Zelenskyy has previously said that Ukraine will sign a deal if the United States can provide security guarantees.

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