Ukraine’s Zelensky Wants Better Terms on Minerals Deal Demanded by Trump

I know we had 100 [billion dollars from the US – ed.], and I’m not going to acknowledge US$500 [billion of debt], no matter what anyone says."

Quote from Zelenskyy

I'm not going to sign something that ten generations of Ukrainians will be paying for."

Quote from Zelenskyy

We are either going to sign a deal or there are going to be a lot of problems with them,

Trump said in a speech on Friday

We are asking for rare earth [elements] and oil — anything we can get ... we better be close to a deal,

he said

It would be cool to do a live video walk through of Fort Knox!"

He later said

I’m dealing with President Zelensky. I’m dealing with President Putin and I’m trying to get the money back or secured."

He said

I've had very good talks with Putin, and I've had not such good talks with Ukraine. They don't have any cards,

Trump said at the White House

He doesn't have to make a deal, because if he wanted, he'd get the whole country,

Trump said

We won't leave Ukraine alone and decide things over their heads,

he said Friday at his last major campaign event before weekend elections

They're very brave, in every way you can imagine. But we are spending our treasure on some country that's very, very far away,

Trump said of Ukraine

The outcome of Trump's play for the rare earth minerals is uncertain now, as the situation on the battlefield is by all means favouring Russia and on the diplomatic front, there are too many moving parts. It is the battle of the wills between the master of manipulation Putin and the master of the Art of the Deal, President Trump. And Zelenskyy is caught in the middle, just trying to survive, figuratively and literally."

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defence Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News

Well, I think the intent is there’ll be no next war."

Kellogg answered

In your opinion, can we trust Russia? That they will negotiate?"

A Ukrainian soldier named Denis, according to the Post, asked Kellogg

You almost have to look back in history, and you have to have an ability to negotiate. All wars end through negotiation, the ultimate victory on the battlefield ends with diplomacy, and today’s world is no different."

Kellogg responded

The biggest reason I wanted to come here was President Trump has said he wants to stop the killing, and you’ve got to go to the place where you see what killing looks like — what death looks like — and see young men and women who have been wounded and combat. As a soldier, you owe them that respect. As a leader, you owe that respect. And that's one of the reasons I wanted to come here to do that, and this gives me an opportunity to see them."

The New

Kellogg visited roughly 20 troops, sitting with each one and having individual discussions. One, named Andrii, had lost both legs, an eye, his hearing and suffered a traumatic brain injury."

According to the Post

Ukrainian soldiers blew up the bridge during Russia’s initial 2022 invasion, playing a key role in stopping Moscow’s advance toward Kyiv,

wrote the Post

In the form in which the draft is now, the president is not ready to accept, we are still trying to make changes and add constructiveness,

a Ukrainian source close to the matter told AFP

There are no American obligations in the agreement regarding guarantees or investments, everything about them is very vague, and they want to extract $500 billion from us,

a Ukrainian source told AFP of the proposed minerals deal

I want to have our money secured, because we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars..."

Trump said in a Fox News interview aired last week