Trump suggests Ukraine’s rare minerals as condition for continued support

U.S. President Donald Trump said helium would perchance beryllium funny successful continuing U.S. assistance to Ukraine successful speech for entree to Ukraine’s uncommon world minerals.

“We’re looking to bash a woody with Ukraine wherever they’re going to unafraid what we’re giving them with their uncommon world and different things,” Trump said Monday successful the Oval Office.

Trump has indicated Ukraine is unfastened to the anticipation of an statement of delivering uncommon world minerals to the U.S. successful speech for the continuation of U.S. assistance to Ukraine for its warfare against Russia, according to an Associated Press report.

“We’re putting successful hundreds of billions of dollars. They person large uncommon earth. And I privation information of the uncommon earth, and they’re consenting to bash it,” the U.S. president said.

Rare world minerals similar those successful Ukraine, see lithium and titanium. They are indispensable for an array of modern high-tech products.

In his regular code Monday, earlier Trump’s announcement, Ukraine’s president reiterated the country’s request to support itself against Russia’s ongoing attacks. He said Russia is “focusing primarily” connected Ukraine’s vigor sector.

“They proceed their attacks, perpetually adjusting their strikes to the capabilities of our defense, making them much hard to repel,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“There is simply a changeless accelerated improvement of physics warfare,” the president said and urged Ukraine to “be overmuch faster” successful adjusting to the continuous changes.

The proviso of aerial defence systems for Ukraine is different contented for the Eastern European country. Zelenskyy said that the supplies are “critical and indispensable not stop.”

“We indispensable perpetually hunt worldwide for ways to fortify defense, summation accumulation of indispensable instrumentality successful Ukraine, grow localization of accumulation and get licenses from our partners,” the president said. “This is simply a immense undertaking, and overmuch of Ukraine’s aboriginal depends connected it.”

Zelenskyy besides said successful his regular code that helium talked Monday with Ukraine’s subject Commander successful Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi astir modernizing the country’s equipped forces.

As portion of that discussion, the 2 men besides talked astir appointing corps commanders who “must beryllium the astir prepared, astir promising officers, with combat acquisition and [a] modern mindset.”

While the president said, “The service indispensable beryllium modern,” helium besides said, “most importantly, it indispensable worth its people.”

Earlier Monday, Russian officials said that Ukrainian drone attacks targeted vigor facilities successful 2 regions successful southwestern Russia.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian aerial defenses sparked fires astatine an lipid refinery.

Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said the Ukrainian attacks focused connected substance and vigor facilities, starting a occurrence successful his portion but causing nary casualties.

The officials did not springiness details astir the sites progressive successful the attacks.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it changeable down 70 Ukrainian drones overnight, including implicit the Rostov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Voronezh, Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said connected Telegram the attacks damaged 3 houses and an cultivation business.

Ukraine’s subject said Monday it destroyed 38 of the 71 drones that Russian forces launched successful overnight attacks.

The intercepts took spot implicit the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said connected Telegram that falling drone debris damaged 4 residential buildings.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported the Russian onslaught damaged a school.

Some accusation for this communicative was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.