White House calls Zelensky 'short-sighted'
A White House spokesman stated that the Trump administration’s rare-earths deal was an “excellent opportunity” for Ukraine. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Ukrainian leader has turned down an “excellent opportunity” by declining to sign a rare-earths deal with the US, according to a spokesman cited by the Associated Press.
The White House has deemed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision “short-sighted,” as it denies Washington access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
This proposal was reportedly a significant topic during Zelensky’s recent discussions with US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference.
US President Donald Trump has recently insisted on receiving “the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths” from Ukraine, which he correlates to the “more than $300 billion” in various forms of aid that Washington has provided to Kiev amid its ongoing conflict with Moscow. Nonetheless, Zelensky has maintained his stance, expressing a desire for a mutually beneficial “partnership” instead of simply ceding control over Ukraine’s natural assets.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes remarked to AP on Monday that “Zelensky is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine.”
Zelensky told AP over the weekend that he had prevented Ukrainian ministers from entering into “a relevant agreement” because he believes “it is not ready to protect us, our interest.”
This proposal was introduced during US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent visit to Kiev.
Zelensky emphasized the importance of maintaining a “connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment.”
According to senior Ukrainian officials familiar with the discussions, the US proposition did not outline security guarantees in exchange. One former senior official was quoted as describing it as “a colonial agreement.”
Prior to the conflict's escalation in 2022, Ukraine boasted Europe’s largest reserves of titanium and lithium—critical materials for military industries, batteries, and capacitors—despite not being classified as rare earths. An estimated $7 trillion of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth is located in its former Donbas regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which became part of Russia in 2022, as reported by Forbes.
Zelensky has recognized that a significant portion of Ukraine’s mineral-rich areas is currently under Russian control.
The AP report highlighted that the US proposal seemingly did not address how these deposits would be protected should the conflict between Moscow and Kiev continue. One Ukrainian official who spoke to the agency noted that Washington might not have “ready answers” to that concern.
Moscow has vocally opposed the potential deal. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated it would contravene Ukraine’s constitution, which asserts that the nation’s natural resources rightfully belong to its people.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also derided the proposed arrangement, labelling it a “commercial transaction,” and suggested that “it would be better not to provide aid at all, thus facilitating an end to the conflict.”
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
The White House has deemed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision “short-sighted,” as it denies Washington access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
This proposal was reportedly a significant topic during Zelensky’s recent discussions with US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference.
US President Donald Trump has recently insisted on receiving “the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths” from Ukraine, which he correlates to the “more than $300 billion” in various forms of aid that Washington has provided to Kiev amid its ongoing conflict with Moscow. Nonetheless, Zelensky has maintained his stance, expressing a desire for a mutually beneficial “partnership” instead of simply ceding control over Ukraine’s natural assets.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes remarked to AP on Monday that “Zelensky is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine.”
Zelensky told AP over the weekend that he had prevented Ukrainian ministers from entering into “a relevant agreement” because he believes “it is not ready to protect us, our interest.”
This proposal was introduced during US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent visit to Kiev.
Zelensky emphasized the importance of maintaining a “connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment.”
According to senior Ukrainian officials familiar with the discussions, the US proposition did not outline security guarantees in exchange. One former senior official was quoted as describing it as “a colonial agreement.”
Prior to the conflict's escalation in 2022, Ukraine boasted Europe’s largest reserves of titanium and lithium—critical materials for military industries, batteries, and capacitors—despite not being classified as rare earths. An estimated $7 trillion of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth is located in its former Donbas regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which became part of Russia in 2022, as reported by Forbes.
Zelensky has recognized that a significant portion of Ukraine’s mineral-rich areas is currently under Russian control.
The AP report highlighted that the US proposal seemingly did not address how these deposits would be protected should the conflict between Moscow and Kiev continue. One Ukrainian official who spoke to the agency noted that Washington might not have “ready answers” to that concern.
Moscow has vocally opposed the potential deal. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated it would contravene Ukraine’s constitution, which asserts that the nation’s natural resources rightfully belong to its people.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also derided the proposed arrangement, labelling it a “commercial transaction,” and suggested that “it would be better not to provide aid at all, thus facilitating an end to the conflict.”
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
