Trump Warns Zelensky Over Potential Withdrawal from Agreement
31 March 2025 09:15
During a press conference, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to withdraw from the agreement regarding rare earth mineral extraction and warned him of serious consequences.
Source: Reuters
Direct quote: "He is trying to withdraw from the rare earth mineral agreement, and if he does, he will face huge, huge problems."
Details: Moreover, Trump reiterated that Ukraine will likely never become a NATO member, despite Zelensky's aspirations to join the Alliance.
"He wants to be a NATO member, but he will never be. He understands that," Trump said.
Background:
- According to Bloomberg, during a video call on March 28 between Ukrainian officials and U.S. representatives, the latter did not express objections to Kyiv's concerns regarding the mineral agreement, indicating Washington's openness to discussing amendments.
- Earlier, "EП" reported that Trump's administration reinstated a requirement for Ukraine to reimburse all assistance provided by the U.S. after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
- The agreement's text specifies that Ukraine is obligated to compensate the U.S. for the full value of assistance—budgetary, military, and humanitarian—given after the onset of the invasion.
- On March 28, President Zelensky insisted that Ukraine is not prepared to acknowledge the U.S. aid provided in recent years as a debt within the framework of the mineral agreement.