US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet on Friday to sign a “very big” deal that will grant the United States access to minerals in the European nation, recouping costs from aid given during Russian war.
“We’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future,” Mr Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Mr Trump confirmed Mr Zelensky is travelling to the White House where the two will “be signing an agreement, which will be a very big agreement.”
The US president said his administration is working with both Ukraine and Russia, saying the deal will see the nations “stop killing people.”
In a major boost to security in Ukraine, the mineral deal means the United States will be in the country, offering a form of protection.
“We will be on the land and that way there is going to be automatic security because nobody is going to be messing around with our people when we are there,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump did not detail specifics on what this meant for Ukraine protections, saying he was “not going to make security guarantees,” adding: “We’re going to have Europe do that, because it’s in… you know, we’re talking about Europe is their next door neighbour.”
The Republican president said Russian President Vladimir Putin would now need to make “concessions”, however, praised the leader as “a very smart guy”.
Continuing his narrative around being a leader of peace through strength, Mr Trump said: “If I didn’t get elected he would have continued to have gone through Ukraine.”
“A lot of people would have been killed … I want to see it come to an end.”
Following Mr Trump’s comments, the Ukraine Government formally backed the mineral deal, with the formality of Mr Zelensky signing the agreement being one of the final steps to be completed.
The deal is part of a broader effort to end the war with Russia and will lay the groundwork for long-term co-operation between Ukraine and the US, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told Reuters.
“This agreement signifies our commitment to lasting peace and strong partnership, as well as the US desire to participate in Ukraine’s reconstruction,” she said in a written statement.
– With Reuters
https://thewest.com.au/politics/world-politics/ukraine-mineral-deal-donald-trump-volodymyr-zelensky-agreement-reached-boosting-security-in-war-end-move-c-17863678
