US President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate an agreement with Ukraine in which it would offer “guarantees“ for its rare earth minerals, widely used in electronics, in exchange for American aid, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, already proposed in October last year to reach an agreement with Ukraine's partners on the exploitation of some strategic metals.
“We are trying to reach an agreement with Ukraine, whereby they will provide their rare earth minerals and other things in exchange for what we give them“, the American president said during a conversation with journalists in the Oval Office.
“Do you want Ukraine to give its rare earth minerals to the United States?“ - asked a reporter.
“Yes, I want guarantees for rare earth minerals“, Donald Trump replied.
In the peace plan presented last October, Ukrainian President Zelensky, without specifically mentioning rare earth minerals, had proposed a “special agreement“ with his country's partners that would allow for “joint protection“ and “joint exploitation of strategic resources“ of his country.
He cited minerals such as uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and other valuable strategic resources as examples.
Trump will hold a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the next day or two, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said, quoted by Reuters.
The spokeswoman told reporters that the conversation would take place soon after Trump threatened to further raise tariffs on goods from China and expressed dissatisfaction that chemicals for the production of fentanyl come from the country, as well as because of Beijing's growing influence in the management of the Panama Canal.
US President Donald Trump's nominee for US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he would review the measures introduced by the government of former President Joe Biden in 2024. restrictions on the export of small arms, Reuters reported.
Latnik said in a written statement that if approved, "it would ensure that the department will review this policy and take appropriate action."
The statement came in response to criticism from Senator Eric Schmidt, who said the policy had "cost American manufacturers and exporters hundreds of millions of dollars in losses annually."