In relation to the minerals, the Trump administration stated that if a peace agreement with Russia is reached, American troops could be sent in to provide security.
If a peace agreement with Russia is reached, the Trump administration has suggested that American troops could be sent to provide security in relation to the minerals, sources told NBC News.
According to four U.S. officials, the Trump administration has proposed to Ukraine that the United States gain 50% ownership of the nation’s rare earth resources and has indicated that it is willing to send American troops to protect them in the event that an agreement with Russia to end the conflict is reached.
Two officials stated that the ownership agreement would be a means for Ukraine to pay back the United States for the billions of dollars in weapons and assistance it has given to Kyiv since the war started in February 2022, instead of financing the minerals.
Eight U.S. officials briefed on the meeting said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought a draft contract to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday which included the proposal for the U.S. to own half of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
The president’s objective was reflected in the draft of a U.S.-Ukraine rare earth minerals agreement, according to Bessent, who did not elaborate on the administration’s proposal after the meeting.
Following Bessent’s presentation of the document during their meeting, the eight U.S. officials briefed on the meeting said Zelenskyy refused to sign it, stating he needed to review it and seek advice from others.
At the time, the Ukrainian leader stated that he and his team “will do everything to review all details of the document” prior to his arrival in Munich, where he met with U.S. lawmakers and Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday as part of a global security conference.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to requests for comment Friday.
During his remarks at the security conference on Friday, Zelenskyy stated that his attorneys would review the document Bessent gave him in Kyiv and make some revisions and suggestions. The proposal, he said, is not a security agreement but rather a memorandum between the United States and Ukraine.
Recently, President Donald Trump has indicated that he is interested in reaching an agreement with Ukraine that would allow the United States substantial access to its rare earth minerals, which are utilized in the production of numerous technological products.
Trump stated in a recent interview with Fox News that he wants the United States to acquire rare earth minerals from Ukraine valued at $500 billion, and he indicated that Kyiv had “essentially agreed to do so.”
During an interview with reporters this month, Trump stated that he would consider having access to the minerals to be a kind of “security.”
“I would like to have rare earth security.” Dozens of billions of dollars are being invested. “I want to secure the rare earth, and they are willing to do that,” Trump stated. “They have great rare earth.”
According to three U.S. officials, a large portion of Ukraine’s mineral resources are located in regions controlled by Russian troops.
As part of the “Victory Plan,” which he presented to Trump during a meeting last fall, Zelenskyy has long supported the idea of exchanging “critical resources” for ongoing U.S. support, according to Ukrainian officials.
“It would be very, very difficult” for Ukraine to survive without U.S. military support,” Zelenskyy told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
In every challenging circumstance, you have an opportunity. However, we won’t have much of a chance to live without American assistance. According to Zelenskyy, it’s crucial and extremely important.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, declared this week that any security assurances for Ukraine would not include the deployment of U.S. troops there. Vance told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that if Russia does not engage in sincere peace talks, the United States is “on the table” of sending troops to Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
The amount of U.S. support for Ukraine has long angered Trump, who at one campaign event called Zelenskyy “the greatest salesman of all time.”
Trump claimed in September that Zelenskyy always leaves the United States with $100 billion. “In my opinion, he is the world’s best salesman. Except if I become president, we will remain in that war.
