Trump says Ukraine minerals deal not dead, but Zelensky ‘should be more appreciative’
Washington’s proposed minerals deal with Ukraine is still on the table, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press briefing Monday afternoon.
Taking questions from reporters after delivering an investment announcement, Trump commented on a variety of issues in U.S.-Ukrainian relations in the wake of a heated Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday.
Asked whether the Ukraine minerals deal “is dead,” Trump said, “No, I don’t think so” and promised to clarify the situation during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday. “Well, I’ll let you know. We’re making a speech — you probably heard about it — tomorrow night, so I’ll let you know tomorrow night. But no, I don’t think so. I think, look, it’s a great deal for us,” he said.
Asked what Zelensky would need to do to restart negotiations, Trump said the Ukrainian leader “should be more appreciative.”
I just think he should be more appreciative, because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin. We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because, as you know, that’s right there.
Evading a question about reports that he’s considering canceling U.S. military aid to Ukraine, Trump made another comment on Zelensky’s earlier statement that the end of the war is still “very far away.”
I want to see it end fast. I don’t want to see this go on for years and years. Now, President Zelensky supposedly made a statement today in AP [...] He said he thinks the war’s going to go on for a long time. And he better not be right about that, that’s all I’m saying.
Asked a second time if he had made a decision on suspending military aid to Ukraine, Trump said, “I haven’t even talked about that right now. I mean, right now, we’ll see what happens.”
In response to a question about whether he would ease sanctions on Russia in the event of a peace deal, Trump replied that the U.S. is “going to make deals with everybody” to end the war, including European countries.
