WHITE HOUSE CALLS ZELENSKYY’S REJECTION OF US ACCESS TO HALF OF UKRAINE’S MINERAL RESOURCES ‘SHORT-SIGHTED’

News Desk World

Sun 16 February 2025:

The White House on Sunday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to sign a proposed agreement granting the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, calling the decision “short-sighted.”

“President Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine,” Ukrainska Pravda online reported, quoting White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.

Back to maximum pressure' - Trump's pick for US national security advisor  vows 'huge shift on Iran' policy | All Israel News

Hughes said the deal would allow American taxpayers to recover funds sent to Kyiv while also benefiting Ukraine’s economy.

“Binding economic ties with the US will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace,” he stressed.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Zelenskyy rejected proposal

Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he has stopped his government from signing an agreement with the US on rare metals, citing concerns over national interests.

Speaking at a news conference in Munich, Germany, Zelenskyy emphasized that the proposed agreement did not align with the interests of the Ukrainian people.

In an interview with US media on Monday, US President Donald Trump did not rule out that he would want to “return” all the money spent by the American government in this country, specifically, an equivalent in the form of Ukrainian rare earth metals worth $500 billion.

“As president, I have a responsibility to ensure the quality of this document. That is why I did not allow ministers to sign the agreement because, in my opinion, it is not yet ready,” he stated.

Zelenskyy stressed that the document must guarantee investments in Ukraine and be legally structured to clearly define the distribution of profits and the connection between rare metal extraction and security guarantees to his nation.

“It’s not in our interests today. Not in the interests of sovereign Ukraine. I’m just a president; I’m a manager, and after my term, there will be another manager, and its nation’s resources, they are not just mine, (they are) of our people,” he stressed.

Zelenskyy reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Ukraine’s natural resources remain available for future generations.

-Source: AA

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL 
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

TWITTER (CLICK HERE) 
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent 

FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent

YOUTUBE (CLICK HERE)

https://www.youtube.com/@ipindependent

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *