Trump threatens Zelenskyy with «big problems» due to Ukraine's possible withdrawal from the fossil fuel deal
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- Mariia Khamitsevych
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8:35, 31 March, 2025
Donald Trump, photo: ReutersUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering refusing to sign a deal on mining, which has prompted a sharp reaction from US President Donald Trump.
According to Reuters, Donald Trump told reporters that such a refusal could cause «big problems» for Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
«He's trying to pull out of the rare earth minerals deal, and if he does, he's going to have problems, big, big problems,» Donald Trump said.
In addition, he noted that Ukraine aspires to become a NATO member, but in his opinion, this will not happen, and Zelenskyy seems to understand this.
Agreement on minerals between Ukraine and the United States
Earlier, Donald Trump said that he would like to conclude a deal under which Ukraine would supply the US with rare earth minerals needed for electronics production in exchange for US aid.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Donald Trump's proposal to provide Ukraine with military assistance in exchange for its minerals.
Subsequently, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine had agreed to provide Washington with access to rare earth minerals worth $500 billion.
It should be noted, however, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement on granting the US access to rare earth minerals. The White House called this decision «short-sighted».
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United States might consider investing in mining on the Black Sea shelf, which is currently under Russian occupation.
US National Security Advisor Mike Volz called on Kyiv «to tone it down» and sign the mining agreement that President Zelenskyy had previously rejected.
Subsequently, the US President Donald Trump's administration sent Ukraine an updated version of the mining agreement, which took into account some of Kyiv's comments. The new draft US minerals agreement provides for the distribution of revenues from resources in the liberated territories of Ukraine.
In addition, the US is in preliminary talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to conclude an agreement on access to critical minerals.