Sloviansk, Ukraine – February 9: In aerial view, on February 9, 2025, the Mount Karachun was seen in front of the city in Sloviansk, Ukraine Chalk quarry. Due to the strategic importance of the mountain and the strategic nature of the telecommunications towers located above it, fighting between Ukrainian military and pro-Russian armed groups continued during the war in eastern Ukraine from April 2014 to July 2014. U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States hopes to obtain rare earth elements from Ukraine in exchange for further U.S. support for Ukraine’s war against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented that indeed, one of the key points of Ukraine’s victory plan is to attract foreign investment into the Ukrainian economy. According to Yulia Svyrydenko, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine has the largest large deposits of lithium, titanium and other minerals. (Photography by Getty Images by Viktor Fridshon/Global Images)
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Munich, Germany (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he instructed his ministers not to be on the proposed protocol To get the United States into Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, the document is too focused on U.S. interests.
The proposal is a center of onlookers at the Munich security conference held on Friday with Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, who provided no specific security guarantees to repay a current and a familiar former senior official.
Zelenskyy’s decision to refuse a deal at least for the time being called “short-sighted” by a senior White House official.
“I didn’t let the minister sign the agreement because I don’t think it’s ready to protect us, our interests,” Zelenskyy said in Munich on Saturday.
The focus of the proposal is how the United States uses Kyiv Rare earth minerals Current and former Ukrainian senior official said, “As the Biden administration has provided “compensation” for support to Ukraine and as payment for future aid, speaking anonymously so that they can speak freely.
There is Large amount of key mineral reserves Used in aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. The Trump administration said it was interested in reaching them to reduce dependence on China, but Zelensky said any exploitation would need to be linked to Ukraine’s security assurances that would prevent future Russian aggression.
“To me, the connection between a certain security guarantee and a certain investment is very important,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelenskyy did not elaborate on why he instructed his officials not to sign the document when U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bassent signed it to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday.
“This is a colonial agreement and Zelenskyy cannot sign,” the former senior official said.
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes did not clearly confirm the proposal, but said in a statement: “President Zelensky feels about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has proposed to Ukraine.” Overwhelmed. “The Trump administration is tired of sending additional aid to Ukraine, and Hughes said a mineral deal would allow U.S. taxpayers to “retrieve” funds sent to Kiev while developing Ukrainian economy.
Hughes added that the White House believes that “the binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee for preventing future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace.” He added: “The United States recognizes this, the Russians recognize it, Ukrainians must recognize this.”
The senior official said U.S. officials were discussing Ukrainian counterparts in Munich and focused heavily on exploring the details of minerals and how to build possible partnerships with Ukraine.
The potential value of Ukrainian deposits has not been discussed yet, and it has not been explored or approached to the frontline.
The U.S. proposal clearly does not consider how to secure deposits while continuing Russian aggression. The official suggested that the United States did not have a “prepared answer” to the question, and one of their gains in the Munich discussion will be how to ensure any mineral extraction action involving people and infrastructure in Ukraine.
Senior Ukrainian officials say any transaction must comply with Ukrainian law and be accepted by the Ukrainian people.
Kseniiia Orynchak, founder of the National Association of Mining Industry of Ukraine, told the Associated Press previously that “belongs to Ukrainians under the Constitution, it belongs to Ukrainians.”
The senior official said Zelenskyy and Vance did not discuss details of the U.S. documents at the meeting at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. The senior official said the meeting was “very good” and “substantive” and Vance made it clear that his and Trump’s main goal was to achieve lasting, lasting peace.
Zelenskyy told Vance that real peace demanded that Ukraine be in a “strong position” when starting negotiations, stressing that U.S. negotiators should come to Ukraine, the United States, Ukraine and Ukraine and Europe must negotiate with Russia at the negotiating table .
but General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy For Ukraine and Russia, despite Zelensky’s request, almost all Europeans cut any topic from conversations in Ukraine and Russia.
“You can have Ukrainians, Russians, obviously Americans talking about it,” Kellogg said at an event held by Ukrainian tycoons at the Munich Security Conference. He said whether this means not including Europeans, he said : “I’m a realist school. I don’t think this will happen.”
The official said Ukraine is now preparing for a “counter-proposal” that the proposal will be delivered to the United States in the “normal future.”
“I think the vice president has to understand that I’m going to sign something, and we have to understand that it will work,” Zelenskyy told the Associated Press.
That means “it will bring money and security,” he said.
