ALBAWABA- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday to finalize a rare minerals deal between the two countries.
While the agreement is expected to grant the U.S. rights to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources, Zelensky confirmed that no security guarantees have been agreed upon as part of the deal.
Zelensky described the agreement as a “framework” and noted that Ukraine would contribute 50% of its natural resource revenues to a jointly owned fund. However, he said it was "too early to talk about money" and emphasized his push for security guarantees to be included in the deal. “I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it’s important that it’s there,” he stated.
Addressing Trump’s previous remarks about Ukraine repaying U.S. military aid, Zelensky insisted the deal would not require Ukraine to “repay 10 cents.”
However, he clarified that his visit to Washington would focus on seeking continued American support. “If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work,” he warned.
The White House has signaled openness to the agreement, with a spokesperson telling Fox News that the minerals deal is “vital to our security and helps recover taxpayer money.”
Trump, who has long advocated for allies to contribute more to their own defense, has previously pushed European nations to increase their defense spending to at least 5% of their GDP.
The minerals deal marks a shift in U.S. policy, reinforcing Trump’s stance that security assistance should come with financial returns rather than being provided for free.
