Donald Trump has warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that significant issues may arise if he backs out of a mineral agreement with the United States.
Last week, the Trump administration presented a ‘major’ new proposal which is allegedly still under review by Zelenskyy.
This new proposal extends beyond the initial plans, proposing that the US receive all royalties from these resources until Ukraine has settled at least $100 billion in war debt, according to The Independent.
The updated proposal also includes a provision allowing the US to veto any sales of Ukrainian resources to other countries.
Updating on these developments, Trump accused Zelenskyy of attempting to ‘back out’ of the agreement.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One regarding Zelenskyy.
“If he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems. We made a deal on rare earth. And now he’s saying, ‘well you know, I want to renegotiate the deal’.”
During his trip from Florida to Washington, Trump elaborated: “He wants to be a member of NATO. He was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that.”
Providing an update on the peace discussions between Russia and Ukraine, Trump noted that ‘we’re making a lot of progress’, but admitted that ‘there’s tremendous hatred’ between Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, suggesting that achieving a swift resolution may be challenging.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump pointed to remarks made by Putin on March 28 about potentially placing Ukraine under external governance.
Trump expressed feeling ‘angry, p***ed off’ when the Russian president began questioning Zelenskyy’s credibility.
Putin reiterated his view that Zelenskyy, whose presidential term ended last year, lacks the authority to sign a peace agreement. According to Ukraine’s constitution, conducting elections is illegal while the country is under martial law.
“If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump stated, adding there would be ‘a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil’.
“Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States.”
Nonetheless, Trump emphasized that he and Putin maintain a ‘very good relationship’.
On his return flight to Washington on March 30, Trump reiterated his frustration with Putin but seemed to adopt a more conciliatory tone.
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” he commented. “I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
When questioned about when he expected Russia to agree to a ceasefire, Trump mentioned there was a ‘psychological deadline’.
“If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he added.