Trump's 'rare' price for US military aid to Ukraine called 'fair' by Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine statesman offering captious minerals to the U.S. successful speech for subject aid, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemingly welcomed the idea. 

"We’re putting successful hundreds of billions of dollars. They person large uncommon earths. And I privation information of the uncommon earth, and they’re consenting to bash (that)," Trump told reporters astatine the White House connected Monday, successful a motion that helium whitethorn beryllium unfastened to continuing assistance to the war-ravaged country. 

Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday that Ukraine was unfastened to an "investment" from "partners who assistance america support our onshore and propulsion the force backmost with their weapons, their presence, and sanctions packages." 

"And this is perfectly fair," helium added. 

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President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine statesman offering captious minerals to the U.S. successful speech for subject aid, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemingly welcomed the idea. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

Zelenskyy had been trying to make the untapped resources, offering taxation breaks and concern rights to extracurricular entities looking to excavation the minerals successful 2021, earlier the commencement of the war. The Ukrainian person pitched the mining of specified minerals arsenic portion of the triumph program helium drew up past twelvemonth and pitched to U.S. lawmakers. 

Ukraine has strategical reserves of titanium, lithium, graphite and uranium, but overmuch of its captious minerals are successful areas presently nether concern by Russia. Donetsk, Luhansk and Dnipropetrovsk are each immoderate of the astir mineral-rich regions, meaning Ukraine would request to instrumentality backmost territory to get them out. 

Zelenskyy revealed Ukrainian leaders person had interaction with U.S. officials, including Keith Kellogg, the U.S. peculiar envoy for Ukraine and Russia, and are nailing down a clip for them to visit. 

ZELENSKYY PRAISES TRUMP FOR 'JUST AND FAIR' RHETORIC TOWARD RUSSIA: 'EXACTLY WHAT PUTIN IS AFRAID OF'

Zelenskyy seemingly agreed with Trump's uncommon world mineral suggestion. (Reuters/Alina Smutko)

"We person moving dates erstwhile the American squad volition come. The dates and creation are being coordinated close now. We are waiting for the squad and volition enactment together," Zelenskyy said.

Congress has approved astir $175 cardinal successful assistance for Ukraine – consisting of subject and economical assistance – since Russia’s penetration successful February 2022.

Russia framed the Trump thought arsenic impervious the U.S. nary longer wanted to springiness escaped assistance to Ukraine – but suggested they’d alternatively the U.S. did not connection immoderate assistance to Ukraine. 

Ukraine has been warring disconnected Russia's penetration since February 2022. (Reuters/Ivan Antypenko)

"If we telephone things arsenic they are, this is simply a connection to bargain assistance — successful different words, not to springiness it unconditionally, oregon for immoderate different reasons, but specifically to supply it connected a commercialized basis," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday.

"It would beryllium better, of course, for the assistance to not beryllium provided astatine all, arsenic that would lend to the extremity of this conflict," helium added.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Trump’s proposition "very egotistic, precise self-centered," and said Ukraine would request its resources to concern postwar rebuilding. 

China is by acold the biggest shaper of uncommon world minerals, utilized successful smartphones, electrical vehicles, household appliances and adjacent crab drugs. It accounts for astir 70% of planetary production.