In a Fox News interview, President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine could "possibly be Russian someday" and discussed the idea of receiving compensation for U.S. aid to Ukraine.
The remarks came ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's scheduled meeting with Vice President JD Vance. Trump has frequently talked about the goal of achieving a swift end to the war with Russia and has also proposed negotiating a deal with Ukraine involving rare earth minerals in exchange for continued U.S. support, criticizing President Joe Biden's financial backing of Kyiv.
Trump explained that Ukraine holds "tremendously valuable land" rich in rare earth minerals, oil, gas, and other resources. He said, "I want to ensure our money is secure because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars on this." Trump added, "They may strike a deal, or they may not. They may end up Russian, or they may not, but I want to make sure we get our money back."
Trump further stated that he told Ukraine he expects "the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths" in return for U.S. aid, and that Ukraine has "essentially agreed to that, so at least we don't feel stupid."
Zelensky, for his part, expressed openness to negotiating with Trump, emphasizing the need for security guarantees. "If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal," he said in an interview on February 7.
Zelensky also noted that less than 20 percent of Ukraine's mineral resources, including about half of its rare earth deposits, are under Russian control. Rare earths are crucial for manufacturing high-performance magnets, electric motors, missile systems, and consumer electronics.
Ukraine holds deposits of 22 of the 34 minerals deemed critical by the European Union, many of which are used in industries such as defense, high-tech, space, and green energy.
Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Vance during the Munich Security Conference, which will take place from February 14 to 16. Trump also mentioned the possibility of meeting with Zelensky in Washington next week during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on February 7.
On X (formerly Twitter), Zelensky wrote: "We are preparing for negotiations with our partners—both European and American—starting midweek. This includes the Ramstein meeting, discussions in Kyiv, and later, participation in the Munich Security Conference. It is crucial that we all work together to bring about real peace and effective security guarantees—the security of our people, our state, our economic relations, and, importantly, our resource resilience—not just for Ukraine, but for the entire free world. All of this is being decided now—by Ukraine and our partners. Peace is always a collective effort."
Prem Sikka, an emeritus professor of accounting, commented on X, "Ukraine 'may be Russian someday', Trump says. He wants rare minerals in return for US aid to Ukraine. This after unleashing trade wars, making land grabs in Greenland, Canada, Panama and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Is he playing a computer game?"
Oleg Kostour, a Ukrainian app founder, responded, "Buying weapons is fine. Fair trade. But there is no world where I 'may be Russian one day.' We have our own language. We are our own people."
Following Trump's recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the impact of discussions with Zelensky on future peace negotiations remains to be seen.
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